MIL/BBC, May 14, 2007. Author:
May 14, 2007 - After Mr Chaudhry's suspension, an organization of lawyers has regularly protested - defying security restrictions and barbed wire barricades in all the big cities of Pakistan and that has ultimately led to 41 people are dead Karachai in the worst battle of the country.
The fighting saw opponents and supporters of President Pervez Musharraf involved in pitched street battles in the country's commercial capital.
Frequent Questions and answers
What are the roots of the confrontation?
It all began on 9 March, when President Musharraf suspended the country's top judge, Iftikhar Chaudhry, whom he accused of misusing his office for personal gain.
Lawyers and opposition parties saw it as an attempt to undermine the independence of the judiciary.
They say Gen Musharraf wanted the judge out of the way because he was seen as an obstacle to the president's plans to remain army chief while simultaneously occupying the presidency.
Ever since Mr Chaudhry's suspension, a fraternity of lawyers has regularly protested - defying security restrictions and barbed wire barricades - in all the big cities of Pakistan.
What began as a small scale demonstrations against the president's effort "to tame" the judiciary soon became huge protests - attended by most opposition parties - against military rule.
In one such demonstration on 6 May in Lahore, Mr Chaudhry told a crowd of thousands that dictatorships which ignore the rule of law face "destruction".
What exactly is the suspended chief justice alleged to have done wrong?
Government officials say that several people have filed complaints with the president accusing Mr Chaudhry of misusing his office and receiving favours.
In particular, he is alleged to have procured a top police job for his son.
But critics say that concerns about corruption in high places are not an issue with the present government.
They point out that there are more serious charges - such as financial embezzlement and property fraud - against other top judges.
They also point to the federal cabinet, many of whose members had corruption cases pending against them in the National Accountability Bureau until they decided to join the government.
The chief justice's supporters say that the real reason he has been singled out is because of his past performance, which created misgivings in official circles about his likely role in the coming legal battles ahead of national elections, due later this year.
What are President Musharraf's options to defuse the crisis?
The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says that his room for manoeuvre is limited. But broadly speaking our correspondent says that the emerging consensus is that the president has four options:
• Ride out the crisis in the hope that the protests run out of steam. The experience of Karachi and Lahore suggests that is not working.
• Accept that he had been wrongly advised, reinstate the chief justice, and look for a scapegoat. But many say it is too late for that now.
• Declare a state of emergency and impose martial law. That might lead to violence on the streets, and to international condemnation, including from his strategic ally the United States.
• Reach out to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) of Benazir Bhutto, generally seen as the most popular political force in the country. According to the rumoured outlines of such a deal, corruption charges against Ms Bhutto would be dropped and she would be allowed to return from exile, if the PPP supported General Musharraf's presidency. However, the PPP says it will not accept the president if he stays on as army chief.
How dangerous are the protests to President Musharraf's rule?
Most commentators agree that the current protests represent the most serious threat to President Musharraf since he seized power in a military coup in 1999.
And judging by what most analysts describe as the heavy-handed response of the security forces - coupled with government-imposed reporting restrictions of the crisis - the president takes the demonstrations very seriously
Within days of the judge's suspension, police in Islamabad used tear gas against demonstrators and smashed equipment at the privately-run Geo TV station which had showed pictures of the protests. President Musharraf later apologised for the incident.
Commentators say the recent clashes in Karachi are now ultimately about who controls the streets.
What will happen next?
The protests look likely to continue.
The worst case scenario for President Musharraf would be for him to relinquish some or all of his powers as a result of the continuing protests. While that seems unlikely at the moment, opposition parties appear to be growing ever more confident.
They have already called for his removal from the presidency and his removal as army chief.
