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Pakistan Opposition, lawyers continue stir

Nirupama Subramanian

Ousted Chief Justice appears before judicial panel

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's lawyers and Opposition political parties kept up the pressure on the Musharraf regime with country-wide strikes and protests on Tuesday, demanding the reinstatement of ousted Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary, as he appeared before the Supreme Judicial Council inquiring into charges against him.

The five-judge oversight panel of the judiciary headed by acting Chief Justice Rana Bhagwandas heard arguments by Mr. Chaudhary's defence team for an open trial instead of in-camera proceedings, according to a court press release. The panel said it would hear other objections raised by Mr. Chaudhary before arriving at a decision and adjourned the proceedings until April 13. Among the other objections is the jurisdiction of the Supreme Judicial Council to hear a reference against the Chief Justice.

Lawyers and Opposition activists converged in the morning on the capital's main avenue where the Supreme Court is located, raising slogans.

Riot police were deployed in the entire area in great numbers, and all roads leading to the court were barricaded. However, the Government seems to have made a conscious decision not to prevent the marching protesters from reaching the Supreme Court, or to disperse them. The protests passed off peacefully, but a handful of participants roughed up a Supreme Court lawyer representing the Government against Mr. Chaudhary. The lawyer had to be rescued by senior lawyers and fled into the Supreme Court. He later withdrew from the case.

The crowd also beat up a couple of men suspected of being "Government saboteurs", tearing off their clothes. The protesters gave Mr. Chaudhary a rapturous welcome as he arrived in his car at the court, and when he returned home four hours later, accompanied the vehicle all the way back.

Lawyers and political parties also held protests in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and several other places.

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