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Pakistan parties stage protest

Nirupama Subramanian

Apex court takes up controversial case of missing persons

ISLAMABAD: Activists and supporters of Pakistan's Opposition political parties participated on Monday in protest rallies in the capital's twin city Rawalpindi and in other parts of the country to express solidarity with lawyers striking against the March 9 removal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary.

The country-wide "Save Judiciary" rallies were called by the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy, a 15-party Opposition coalition whose main constituents are Benazir Bhutto's People's Party of Pakistan, and Nawaz Sharif's Pakistan Muslim League (N). The Right-wing Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal also joined in the rallies.

The protests went ahead despite the arrests of some 400 party workers over the weekend. The turn-outs were not as high as the Opposition would have liked. The biggest demonstrations took place in Lahore and Karachi.

Since the removal of the Chief Justice two weeks ago, this is the first time the Opposition parties took the initiative in organising the protests. Lawyers also participated in the Opposition rallies, while continuing with their own protests in various cities.

Meanwhile, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court specially constituted by acting Chief Justice Rana Bhagwandas for the missing persons case that Mr. Chaudhary was hearing before his removal, sent out the message that it could take as strong a line on the case as he did.

Justice Javed Iqbal, who is heading the bench, observed that even if intelligence agencies were not answerable to any ministry, they were answerable to the courts.

The remark came during a hearing of a case filed by the families of 41 men believed to have been picked up by intelligence agencies for their alleged links with the Al-Qaeda.

Chief Justice Chaudhary's efforts in the case prior to his removal led to the tracing of 31 of these men, and some analysts have pointed to his tough stand on the issue against the Government in this case as one reason for his abrupt ouster.

The bench ordered the Government to furnish written replies on the applications filed by the families of the missing persons as well as a new petition by the private Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).

Justice Iqbal said the Supreme Court would not abandon the case at any cost.

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