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| India-Pakistan |
| 350 Opp activists held in Rawalpindi, Islamabad |
| 2007-04-18 |
| Some 350 opposition activists were arrested from the twin cities on Tuesday, before the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) resumes the hearing of the presidential reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry today (Wednesday). Opposition parties said they would go ahead with plans to stage peaceful rallies across the country, including outside the Supreme Court (SC) building in Islamabad, while the government warned of stern action if the protestors disturbed law and order. On Tuesday, police arrested at least 270 opposition activists, mostly of the PML-Nawaz and Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, in Rawalpindi to thwart their protest plans. Hanif Abbasi, MMA MNA from Rawalpindi, has reportedly gone into hiding. Islamabad police arrested around 80 activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) including Mian Muhammad Aslam, an MNA from Islamabad. The JI workers were shifted to Jhelum and Aslam to a rest house near Simly Dam. Opposition leaders said the protests would go ahead despite the arrests. “The PPP will rally from its central secretariat despite the fact that hundreds of our workers have been arrested in Rawalpindi,” PPP MNAs Nayar Hussain Bukhari and Ghulam Murtaza Satti told a press conference in Islamabad. “The government is hunting for our workers and we have asked them to go underground,” PML-N Information Secretary Ahsan Iqbal told Daily Times. MMA Secretary General Liaquat Baloch said that thousands from his party would take part in the demonstration on Constitution Avenue, led by Qazi Hussain Ahmad. Meanwhile, the administrations of Rawalpindi and Islamabad finalised security arrangements and deployed more than 3,000 security personnel in the twin cities. Four walkthrough gates have been installed on Constitution Avenue for people proceeding to the SC. The district administration has banned the entry into Islamabad of private vehicles carrying loudspeakers. Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Chaudhry Muhammad Ali said that activist carrying party flags would be denied entry into the SC building and trespassers would be arrested. And the government warned that any violence outside the SC would be dealt with “with an iron hand”. In view of possible violence, the district administration announced a local holiday for schools and colleges today. Meanwhile in Karachi, the Sindh High Court issued an order to the entire legal fraternity to observe a full-day strike to protest against the presidential reference against the chief justice. “The SHC has issued orders to all the lawyers registered with it as well as the Karachi Bar Association to conduct a complete strike on Wednesday,” Advocate Taeeba said. Protesting lawyers will march towards Chief Minister’s House. |
| Posted by:Fred |