It has rocked the country with legal fraternity up in arm and the groundswell of popular revulsion over the presidential move and tremendous support received by the beleaguered chief justice gaining momentum. Though political parties have tried to take mileage, lawyers lead the movement.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf, who sent the reference against the chief justice, is visibly rattled by the public response and is anxiously watching the situation slipping out of control. During last couple of days he has seemingly tried to somewhat distance himself from the original move surprising both friends and foes.

On Saturday, at a public rally in southern Punjab, he shifted the blame to the ‘government’ for sending the reference against the chief justice which he merely forwarded to the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) considering it as his constitutional obligation. Denying any personal grudge against the CJ, he even mentioned family relationship and exchange of social calls to each others’ house.

Musharraf also talked about a conspiracy against him to foment popular trouble. He did not name anybody but felt frustrated that while he is getting the blame for every thing happening in the country, others are standing aloof silently watching the situation sliding into chaos. Most cabinet ministers have kept discreet silence, some came out with veiled criticism while the prime minister has only once referred to the case cryptically, saying it was a legal and constitutional issue. The ruling part chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain left the country a day later. On reaching New York he surprisingly declared that it is an issue between the military and the judiciary. Gen. Musharraf thus seems to be completely isolated.

While public anger is building up and showing on the streets and court rooms, the handling of the entire crisis by the government has further worsened the situation and ignited more trouble. The treatment meted out to Justice Iftikhar, the way he was confined and shut out from entire world, has led to worldwide condemnation. His defiance not to bow before a military ruler has generated enormous support and enthusiasm within and abroad. The common belief is that Musharraf under-estimated him and thought he would cave in like nuclear scientist Dr A. Q. Khan.

Justice Iftikhar was never rated a judge of outstanding qualities, nor had any spectacular judgments to his credit before he took the oath of office on June 30, 2005, as Chief Justice of Pakistan. That day the man seemed to have discovered and redefined himself. Under him the court delivered some landmark judgments, on top being the annulment of privatisation of the Pakistan Steel Mills and forcing the government to disgorge people whisked away by security agencies and held without charge and trace for years. He also won tremendous public appreciation by taking up the cause of poor people, in particular women, to rescue them from police excesses and social customs.

As popular protest continues, the government has committed several faux pas to ignite the rage further. Friday's incident of attack by police on the offices of private channel Geo TV and its affiliated newspaper, hit headlines all over the world. It proved a PR disaster and embarrassed Musharraf who had to come on TV to condemn the incident and apologise to the nation.

His gesture triggered a chorus of condemnation by every functionary of the regime provoking a cynical response from cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan. “They are behaving as if some aliens from the outer space had raided the TV office.” Most papers described it as a black day which had no precedent in country's history.