Washington DC, March 15^th 2009 -  PAKPAC welcomes the news of reinstatement of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as Chief Justice of Pakistan on March 21, 2009, as the first step towards the independence of the Judiciary in Pakistan.  We are pleased that Government of Pakistan arrived at this decision without further deterioration of law and order situation and inconvenience to the citizens of Pakistan. We now ask all branches of Government and Political parties to cooperate with one another to stabilize and strengthen the democratic system in the country.  We, along with Pakistanis who have patiently waited for this defining moment, believe today’s action will bring credence to institutions in Pakistan, and usher in a period of positive changes within the country. In this context, we would like to see changes made to the Constitution of Pakistan to reflect the independence of the Judiciary.

We ask President Zardari to now lift Governor rule in the Punjab, and let the democratically elected members of the Punjab Assembly elect their leader as well. We believe such actions would enhance Pakistan’s image in the world, and result in favorable considerations by  “Friends of Pakistan”  in helping Pakistan achieve economic self sufficiency.