Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary, the deposed chief justice of Pakistan’s Supreme Court, was given hope of his freedom from house arrest on Monday night after Yusuf Raza Gilani, the newly elected prime minister, announced his intention to release all judges arrested on President Pervez Musharraf’s orders.

Mr Gilani’s announcement is a blow to Mr Musharraf at a time when his position has been weakened by a year of disputes with opposition parties, civil society activists, lawyers and journalists.

Hundreds of civil society activists and lawyers climbed over the walls surrounding Mr Chaudhary’s official residence in Islamabad in a show of defiance against Mr Musharraf, after Mr Gilani in his acceptance speech as prime minister said: “I order the immediate release of detained judges of the superior judiciary.”

Cries of “Go, Musharraf, go” and “Long live Iftikhar Chaudhary” resonated around the judge’s home when he appeared on a balcony with his family members and close friends.

Mr Chaudhary emerged last year as a key figure opposing Mr Musharraf after the president sacked him on vague charges of misconduct. He was restored as chief justice in a landmark verdict by judges of the Supreme Court in July last year.

But Mr Chaudhary soon found himself confined to house arrest when he was among up to 60 judges sacked in November, after Mr Musharraf imposed a national state of emergency.

At that time Mr Chaudhary was hearing a legal challenge to Mr Musharraf’s presidential election in October, on the grounds that under Pakistani law government officials are bound to wait at least two years before seeking political office. Mr Musharraf retired as chief of army staff in November.

Legal experts warned that Mr Chaudhary’s freedom would weaken Mr Musharraf further.

“The release of Iftikhar Chaudhary could be the first step towards his eventual restoration as chief justice,” said Ashtar Ausaf Ali, a senior Pakistani lawyer. “But even before that happens, as a free man Mr Chaudhary will go from place to place promoting his cause and he will have a large following of supporters”.

Western diplomats said Mr Chaudhary could work to reignite lawyers’ opposition to Mr Musharraf. Last year’s protests by lawyers brought the legal system to a virtual halt.

In his acceptance speech as prime minister, Mr Gilani also announced his intention to seek a United Nations inquiry into the December assassination of Benazir Bhutto, the late leader of the Pakistan People’s party, on the same lines as the UN investigation into the killing of Rafiq Hariri, the late Lebanese prime minister.

Mr Musharraf has turned down such a demand from the PPP, in which Mr Gilani served as an aide to Bhutto.