Suspended Pakistani judge warns against dictatorship

By Simon Cameron-Moore

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistan's suspended chief judge told thousands of cheering supporters on Sunday that dictatorship was a thing of the past and states that ignored the rule of law and basic rights faced destruction.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry arrived in the city of Lahore on Sunday after tens of thousands of supporters turned out to greet him as he travelled by road from Islamabad. The trip takes four hours but took him more than 20.

Speaking in the compound of the Lahore High Court to thousands of lawyers, 17 of Punjab province's 23 judges, and opposition activists outside on the street, Chaudhry made no direct reference to President Pervez Musharraf or his government.

But his message was clear.

"Nations and states which are based on dictatorship instead of the supremacy of the constitution, the rule of law and protection of basic rights get destroyed," Chaudhry said.

The government moved to sack Chaudhry on March 9 but the legal community and opposition saw Musharraf's move as an attack on the independence of the judiciary.

The authorities' heavy-handed ways and Chaudhry's refusal to resign transformed a judge who was unpopular with many lawyers into a cause celebre.

The crisis has blown up into the most serious challenge to Musharraf's authority since the army chief seized power in 1999.