Zardari cannot afford independent judge: Imran Khan

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is not willing to restore the dismissed chief justice of the country because of the massive corruption cases against him, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has said.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is not willing to restore the dismissed chief justice of the country because of the massive corruption cases against him, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has said.

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In an interview to the popular NPR radio from his hideout place in Pakistan, Khan said Zardari does not want to have an independent judiciary which can look at his corruption cases.

"When Asif Zardari says that the people don't want Chief Justice (Iftikhar Choudhary), what he means is that he doesn't want him," he said.

"He cannot afford an independent judge who cannot be controlled," said Khan, who went into hiding after his house was raided by authorities to arrest him. He is founder of the Movement for Justice Party.

Referring to the opinion polls held inside Pakistan, Khan said all of them have reflected that over 70 per cent of people want the Chief Justice to be reinstated.

"This will decide where does Pakistan go and this chief justice has to be reinstated for us to become a proper democratic system with rule of law," he said.

Khan said the way the Zardari government is handling the situation, it might end up into violence.