Pakistan Removes 37 Judges Who Don't Back Musharraf

Pakistan's government has formally retired 37 judges who refused to take an oath of allegiance to Pervez Musharraf, the president, after he imposed a state of emergency on November 3.

Many of the judges, including Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the former chief justice, say they have been under effective house arrest since then.

"Thirteen judges of the Supreme Court and 24 judges of the high courts of Lahore, Peshawar and Sindh stand retired with the issuance of notification by the law ministry," Malik Muhammad Qayyum, the attorney general, said.

Pakistan's opposition parties, including those led by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, former prime ministers, have called for the judges to be reinstated.

Pakistan's government has formally dismissed more than 20 senior judges who refused to accept President Pervez Musharraf's emergency rule.
 The Pakistani law ministry issued notices Tuesday dismissing 24 high court judges and three Supreme Court judges, including former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.