Print

Mail

wiki links

Pakistani lawyers rally for judge

Pakistani lawyers and opposition workers chanting slogans against President Pervez Musharraf rallied in Islamabad yesterday as the country's suspended chief justice appeared before a judicial council.

Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, charged with misconduct and abuse of authority by the president on March 9, made his seventh appearance at the Supreme Court in the capital, his lawyers said.

The rally came despite a heavy crackdown overnight by police who detained hundreds of activists from opposition parties to prevent them from reaching the top court, police and opposition sources said.

Scores of protesters stood under scorching sun shouting "Go Musharraf go," "Musharraf is US stooge" and "We want independent judiciary," witnesses said.

The turnout was much lower than previous protests since the start of the judicial crisis, during which rallies of thousands were held outside the court for each hearing of Chaudhry's case, which is being heard by a panel of judges called the Supreme Judicial Council.

Islamabad police chief Zafar Iqbal said more than 100 people from different opposition parties were detained in raids overnight in the capital to prevent "potential trouble-makers from agitating outside the court."

Police sources said another 200 opposition activists were arrested in different cities of the main Punjab province.

Lawyers boycotted courts across the country and staged rallies in support of the embattled judge who has denied charges that he abused his position to get a police job for his son and to amass a fleet of cars.

Opponents accuse Musharraf of dismissing Chaudhry illegally in an attempt to weaken the judiciary and make it easier for him to stay on as army chief past 2007, when the Constitution says he is meant to give up the position.

Musharraf also intends to seek re-election by the outgoing parliament for another five years ahead of national polls due late this year or early next -- a move that could spark other legal challenges.

Musharraf says the dismissal of Chaudhry was legal and intended to stem corruption.
This story has been viewed 899 times.