ISLAMABAD, March 3: The government on Monday decided in principle to relax some restrictions and allow the children of detained Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to attend their educational institutions.

The decision came as a result of intense pressure from continued protests by lawyers and civil society activists outside the Judges’ Colony in the federal capital for the release of the deposed judges.

A senior official told Dawn that the decision was likely to be enforced in a day or two, and the deposed chief justice had been informed about the move, both directly and through his relatives.

A senior official of Islamabad’s local administration told Dawn that the decision to relax the restrictions had been taken by President Pervez Musharraf.

However, the minister concerned was not prepared to confirm or deny the move. “I cannot say anything about it because the local administration of Islamabad is dealing with the issue,” caretaker Interior Minister Lt-Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz told Dawn.

On the other hand, lawyers close to the detained chief justice were not prepared to believe reports about the government decision, and one of them said that if any such decision had been taken the government should announce it publicly.

However, a source in the caretaker set-up said the government was reluctant to issue any official notification regarding relaxation in the restrictions because the government had so far not admitted officially that the chief justice was under any restriction or house arrest.

But the reality is that the chief justice has been under virtual house arrest since November 3, 2007. He can neither leave his official residence nor can anyone meet him.

The source said the local administration had proposed to the higher authorities to at least allow the children of the chief justice to attend their schools and colleges.

Signs of some sort of relaxation were seen on Sunday when Justice Iftikhar’s father-in-law was allowed to meet him in his official residence.

However, lawyer Athar Minallah, who is close to the chief justice, rejected the government’s claim that the children of the deposed chief justice had been given any relief.

He asked: “If the government has softened the restrictions why has a formal notification not been issued in this regard?”

He said that earlier the government was sticking to its stance that the chief justice was a free man and could go wherever he wanted to.