ISAS Briefs

On 28 September 2007, the Pakistan Supreme Court gave embattled President Pervez Musharraf a glimmer of hope when it dismissed, by a six to three majority, petitions by opposition members attempting to prevent Musharraf from continuing his reign of power. The court did not give reasons for its decisions, with the majority simply stating that the petitions were not maintainable under the law. The minority in the Supreme Court held that the petitions were maintainable under Art 184(3) of the Constitution on the basis that they involved matters of public interest and affected protected Fundamental Rights. The pro-Musharraf group views this as a vindication of Musharraf's campaign while the opposition claims the ruling was merely on technical grounds and has vowed to press ahead with further challenges in the days ahead.