[JURIST] The Pakistani government said Sunday that all of the Supreme Court of Pakistan [official website] judges ousted by President Pervez Musharraf when he declared emergency rule [JURIST report] in early November must vacate their government-provided accommodations by Friday and return to their own homes. Previously, the Interior Ministry had said the deposed judges were welcome to stay in their official accommodations or return to their hometowns for as long as the law permitted them to do so. The ousted judges, however, expressed skepticism about returning to their own homes, fearing they may be placed under house arrest.

Last week, Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Igbal Cheema said that the ousted judges, who had been under virtual house arrest, were "free to move" [JURIST report] and leave their homes. Deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry [JURIST news archive] was, however, prevented from leaving his official residence [JURIST report] Wednesday and fellow Justice Rana Bhagwandas said he and his colleagues still faced heavy restrictions on their mobility. On Friday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour urged Pakistan to reinstate all of the judges [JURIST report] dismissed under Musharraf's declaration of emergency rule before parliamentary elections slated for January. Dawn has more.