Pakistan’s top court blocks presidential appointment of two judges

President Asif Ali Zardari’s spokesman issued a statement dismissing rumors that the government was planning to declare a state of emergency following Saturday’s late night ruling.

Zardari is already facing the prospect of legal challenges to his rule after the Supreme Court ruled against an amnesty that had been shielding him from graft allegations dating back to the 1980s.

Earlier last year, he was forced to reinstate the Supreme Court chief justice fired by former dictator General Pervez Musharraf after large demonstrations.