[JURIST] Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf "may accept the restoration of judges if the government amends the constitution," a spokesman for his political party said Saturday, according to AP. On Friday former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, leader of the subordinate party in the country's new coalition government, said that the judges would be restored May 12 [JURIST report] and a resolution to that affect would be introduced in parliament. AP has more.

Pakistani Attorney General Malik Qayyum, a Musharraf stalwart, said [JURIST report] in March that the judges ousted by Musharraf last November under his declaration of emergency rule could only be reinstated if the newly elected members of the National Assembly of Pakistan by a two-thirds majority vote struck down constitutional changes [JURIST report] Musharraf introduced following the dismissals, in particular a December 14 amendment providing that any judge who has not taken an oath under the Oath of Office (Judges) Order, 2007 [text] established under Musharraf's Provisional Constitution Order (PCO) [text as amended] ceased to hold office effective November 3. Pakistan's News daily reported Friday that if a constitutional amendment were not forthcoming, Musharraf would seek a Supreme Court stay against any attempt to restore the judges by means of an Executive Order only.

Pakistani media reported Thursday that unannounced details [JURIST report] of the restoration deal struck in Dubai between Sharif and Pakistan People's Party chief Asif Ali Zardari include a constitutional reform package to be introduced after a resolution restoring the judges is passed. Local media said earlier this month that such a package had been prepared by Law and Justice Minister Farooq H. Naik and forwarded for consideration to Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani.