Thousands of people calling for the resignation of Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's president, have protested outside Islamabad's supreme court as the country's suspended chief justice defended himself against charges of misconduct.
Heavy contingents of Islamabad and Punjab police and Rangers were deployed at various places in the vicinity of the Supreme Court (SC) but they kept at a distance from the protesters. However, for the first time leaders and workers of the political parties were not allowed to enter the SC building.
Chanting "Musharraf, killer of justice", lawyers and opposition party supporters cheered as the judge arrived before police drove them back from the building's gates.
The chief justice was warmly welcomed by the lawyers and political workers chanting vociferous slogans when he reached the SC to appear before the SJC.
The leaders of the opposition parties reached the Constitution Avenue in small processions. Almost all the main leaders, except Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal president Qazi Hussain Ahmed, who had been put under house arrest on Monday, were present outside the Supreme Court and remained there for more than six hours.
Throughout the time, the activists carrying huge party flags and placards kept chanting anti-government slogans. ‘Go Musharraf go' was the most widely used slogan. They demanded restoration of the chief justice and resignation of President Pervez Musharraf. Some activists also raised slogans in favour of their party leaders. Former president Rafiq Tarar, Raja Zafarul Haq, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Tehmina Daultana, Sabir Shah, Khawaja Asif and other leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) staged a sit-in outside the Supreme Court.
Qazi Hussain Ahmed addressed the protesters by telephone through a loudspeaker.
People's Party Parliamentarians workers reached the SC under the leadership of Alliance for the Restoration of Democracy chairman Makhdoom Amin Fahim. Raja Pervez Ashraf, Mir Baz Khetran, Sherry Rehman, Farzana Raja, Enver Baig, Fakhar Imam, Abida Hussain, Latif Khosa, Zamarrud Khan, Nargis Faiz Malik, Malik Hakmin Khan and some other MNAs and MPAs participated in the protest.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Maulana Fazlur Rehman left the venue of the protest early. Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, former director-general of Inter-Services Intelligence Hameed Gul and Rasool Bakhsh Palejo of the Awami Tehrik were also present.
Agencies
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