Musharraf Rebuked By Supreme Court

It's nice to know that democracy is not a lost cause in Pakistan.

Pakistan's Supreme Court reinstated Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry on Friday, dealing a political blow to President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

Cheering crowds took to the streets in support of the judge to celebrate the court's ruling that found Musharraf's suspension of Chaudhry illegal.

Officials said the decision is a historic moment for the country and another victory for Pakistan's independent judiciary.

Munir Malik of Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar Association hailed the "landmark judgment" saying the decision slammed Musharraf's grip on power that has long put him at odds with pro-democracy advocates.

Slamming Musharraf's grip on power that has long put him at odds with pro-democracy advocates, Malik referred to the president and military leader's "autocratic rule."

The government has sheepishly accepted the decision. How could it not? This is just another sign that Musharraf's grip on power, which he's been holding for seven long years, is slowly slipping: the Lal Masjid affair was more a defeat than a victory; uprisings in the tribal areas, where Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants are gaining strength; they're more suicide bombings in Pakistan than in Iraq; and the military, the main bulwark of support for Musharraf, is grumbling. All in all, it looks like a recipe for Musharraf's downfall. The question is: will he go quietly, or kicking and screaming?