One would have expected that with the place given to justice in Islam, Pakistan would have maintained the high standards of judicial traditions that form an important part of Muslim teaching and history. This was all the more expected when an eminent lawyer of the calibre of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad All Jinnah was Pakistan's founder and its first governor general. For the short time that he was alive after the creation of Pakistan and for a few years after his death, the role of the judiciary was not controversial and we appeared to have made a good start. As power began to shift into the hands of bureaucrats and generals, the judiciary began to loose the high moral ground with which the founder of Pakistan had made a start. Soon afterward Ghulam Muhammad, the governor general, who was a former bureaucrat and later General Ayub Khan, the commander-in-chief of the Army, decided to do away with the role of the politicians and take over the affairs of the country. In this they had the support of the judiciary. The decision of the Supreme Court to uphold the dismissal of the Constituent Assembly by Governor General Ghulam Muhammad in 1954 and the support given to Field Marshal Ayub Khan by Chief Justice Munir to impose Martial Law in 1957, were important steps in the evolution of Judicial-Military cooperation to stifle the growth of democracy in Pakistan. This support, barring a few honourable exceptions, continued for almost half a century, until the recent dismissal by General Musharraf of the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. The developments in the country have now reached a stage when any decision in this matter is likely to have far reaching effects on the future of Pakistan. It is generally agreed that the manner in which the chief justice was removed and his subsequent treatment was highly objectionable and his re-instatement in the circumstances is justified. There are however certain development that have taken place, which cannot be ignored. His processions and addresses to the Bar Associations and political workers in the country and the manner in which this campaign has been conducted, has consciously or inadvertently brought the chief justice into politics, for which both he and his well wishers are responsible. The damage has however been done and it cannot be expected that the chief justice can now remain unaffected by the events of the last few months. In such circumstances, the proper thing to do would be to re-instate him and all the other judges who were dismissed and he should then retire from the office of the Chief Justice of Pakistan and consider entering into politics - either forming his own political party or joining an existing one. However much he may try to remain impartial, his decisions, if he remains the chief justice, are likely to be seen as being influenced by his close association with lawyers, political leaders and political parties with whom he has been in contact since his ouster. His entry in politics could moreover bring about a healthy change in our political landscape which appears polluted with leadership, most of which carries a burden of corruption and incompetence which does not hold much promise for the future. Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry's active participation in politics would give the people hope for a better future for the country. Time will however show whether he will prove worthy of this trust. We will know the answer only when he has been tried in the political arena.