ISLAMABAD : Pakistan's Deputy Attorney-General resigned on Tuesday citing the ongoing judicial crisis, while the Supreme Judicial Council put off Wednesday's scheduled hearing of the case relating to the presidential reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary to April 3.

The five-judge panel, which oversees the functioning of the judiciary, and is headed by Acting Chief Justice Javed Iqbal, gave Justice Rana Bhagwandas's expected return on March 21, and the possible reconstitution of the panel, as the reason for the postponement. The government has said that Mr. Bhagwandas, the senior most Supreme Court Judge after the Chief Justice, will be sworn in as Acting Chief Justice when he returns.

Lawyers and opposition parties had declared March 21 a day of protests to coincide with Mr. Chaudhary's scheduled third appearance before the Council. They said the protests would go ahead as planned.

After a string of resignations by judges, including a Lahore High Court judge, in protest against the ouster of the Chief Justice, it was the turn of a senior government lawyer to call its quits.

"I have resigned," Deputy Attorney-General Nasir Saeed Sheikh said. "I am unable to continue because of what is happening with the judges and the Constitution over the last few days," he said.

He said he has sent his resignation to President Pervez Musharraf. Sheikh was the government's defence lawyer in Chief Justice Iftikhar's court in the case of the missing persons.

Panel formed

In a separate development, the Acting Chief Justice formed a committee headed by a High Court judge to inquire into the police manhandling of Mr. Chaudhary. The committee has been given a week to make its report.

Another committee, also to be headed by a High Court judge, will inquire into the baton-charge and teargassing of lawyers in Lahore last Saturday.

An embattled President Pervez Musharraf, who in an interview on Geo TV on Monday night related his side of the story, is preparing for a big media offensive.

Foreign journalists received phone calls from Information Ministry officials alerting of the possibility of a meeting with the President between March 20 and 27.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry has reacted strongly to the EU Troika taking up the issue of the reference against the Chief Justice with the Pakistan Government.

Representatives of the troika met an official of the Ministry and raised concerns about the reference against the Chief Justice, and freedom of expression and the state of civil rights in Pakistan in this election year.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry confirmed that the EU Troika representatives had met an official of the ministry at their request.

According to the statement, the EU representatives were told the judicial reference was a constitutional and legal matter which would be proceeded with in accordance with the constitutional and legal provisions of Pakistan.

"The EU Troika representatives were reminded that their concern was out of place as the government was fully committed to the freedom of expression, civil rights and respect for judiciary," the Ministry said.

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