ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) – Pakistan's suspended top jurist took a veiled swipe at the country's military president on live national television, warning "absolute power corrupts absolutely."

Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry was speaking publicly Saturday in the Supreme Court for the first time since President Gen. Pervez Musharraf suspended him about two months ago for alleged abuse of power, triggering a public furor that is testing the military leader's hold on power.

The ouster of the independent-minded judge was widely seen as a move to prevent legal challenges to Musharraf's continued rule.

Chaudhry did not specifically mention Musharraf in his address, but made veiled criticism of the president, who also serves as military chief, saying the centralization of power in one man could be dangerous.

"Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely," Chaudhry told a televised, packed seminar on "Separation of Power and Independence of Judiciary."

He also said it was critical to maintain the separation of powers among the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, calling judicial independence a "bulwark against abuse of power."