[JURIST] Judges ousted by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf after his declaration of emergency rule [text; JURIST report] last November can only be reinstated if the newly elected members of the National Assembly of Pakistan [official website] strike down constitutional changes Musharraf introduced following the dismissals, Pakistani Attorney General Malik Qayyum said Tuesday. Qayyum said that reinstating the judges would require a constitutional amendment with a two-thirds majority vote. Reuters has more.

The new coalition government [JURIST report] formed by the Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Muslim League [party websites] has vowed to establish a fully independent judiciary, saying that they will work together to reinstate judges [JURIST reports] who were dismissed by Musharraf last year, with legislation to be brought forward within 30 days of parliament's opening.