Pakistan

Pakistan Stocks Rise Most in 9 Months as Gilani Restores Judges Bloomberg — Pakistan stocks rose the most in nine months after Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani pledged to reinstate Supreme Court justices fired under military rule in 2007, ending a confrontation with the opposition. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and other deposed judges will be restored on March 21, Gilani said in a 6 a.m. televised address in Islamabad, meeting the demands of thousands of protesters who are challenging President Asif Ali Zardari. Authorities will also lift a ban on rallies and release detained protesters, he said. click to read complete article

Pakistan Reinstates Chief Justice, Defusing Political Standoff Voice of America — Pakistan's prime minister has acceded to demands to reinstate the country's former supreme court chief justice, who was fired by then-President Pervez Musharraf in 2007. The announcement in Islamabad appears to have defused the standoff between the government and its opponents. The prime minister announced the reinstatement in a broadcast on state television just before dawn Monday - hours before thousands of protesters were preparing to converge on the capital. click to read complete article

U.S. welcomes Pakistan's decision to restore deposed chief justice Xinhua — The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan issued a statement on Monday, welcoming the decision made the Pakistan government to restore the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. "We welcome the announcement by the Government of Pakistan of its plans to reinstate former Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry," said the statement. click to read complete article