Pakistan's top attorney resigns after judge's reinstatement

Islamabad, July 23 (DPA) Pakistan's attorney general Makhdoom Ali Khan resigned Monday after the reinstatement of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry by the Supreme Court and the quashing of abuse-of-office allegations against him, local media reported.

Khan stepped down over his role in the proceedings into a presidential reference against Chaudhry, who was accused of misusing his authority as the country's top judge.

Khan had informed President Pervez Musharraf about his move immediately after the apex court set aside the reference as illegal, but the president asked him to continue with his duties until a decision was taken, the Geo News channel quoted sources as saying.

The attorney general represented Musharraf before the court, which also gave the ruling that the president's order for sending Chaudhry on forced leave was unlawful and passed without legal authority.

Opposition parties have been criticising the officials involved in the case, particularly those in the Ministry of Law and Justice that prepared the reference, and sought their resignation after the Supreme Court's landmark ruling last week.

Meanwhile, the reinstated chief justice retook his office on Monday after more than four months of legal battles with Musharraf.

Chaudhry's March 9 suspension triggered a countrywide anti-Musharraf movement that had come as one of the major crises during the president's mostly unchallenged eight-year rule.

Analysts see Chaudhry's return to the Supreme Court as a major blow to the embattled President.