Clashes in Pakistan After Chaudry Urges 'Sacrifice'

Nov 07, 08:41 AM

Current Headlines: By Andrew Buncombeand Omar Waraichin Islamabad

Hundreds of lawyers were involved in new clashes with Pakistani police just hours after the country's ousted Chief Justice addressed them by phone and urged them to stand up against General Pervez Musharraf and his declaration of emergency rule.

In a speech relayed to lawyers meeting in Islamabad, Iftikhar Chaudhry, who is under house arrest, said: "Go to every corner of Pakistan and give the message that this is the time to sacrifice. Don't be afraid. God will help us and the day will come when you'll see the constitution supreme and no dictatorship for a long time."

Several hours after he spoke, hundreds of lawyers in the city of Multan clashed with police as security forces sought to break up a street rally held in defiance of a ban on protests. Both sides threw stones at one another and police used their sticks to disperse the crowd.

As the government met to discuss whether scheduled parliamentary elections should go ahead and on what timetable, the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto - who is hoping to secure a third term as premier by leading her party to victory in those elections - flew into Islamabad for a meeting with colleagues.

Ms Bhutto, the head of the Pakistan People's Party, said she had no plans to meet the general, with whom she had previously come to a power-sharing arrangement.

"There will be no talks with Musharraf in the given circumstances," she said, demanding "the restoration of the constitution immediately, withdrawal of all bans on the media and the judiciary, and the release of all the arrested people." She is due to hold a rally today.

Since the general suspended the constitution and declared emergency rule on Saturday, he has come under intense pressure from the international community, and in particular from the United States and United Kingdom, to reverse his decision, although they have fallen short of cutting the millions of pounds worth of aid programmes to the country.

General Musharraf appeared to be bending to the international pressure by Monday, when his government said that elections would take place within two months as scheduled.

Yesterday, however, the situation appeared a little murkier as various government officials said that a decision on when the elections should take place had not yet been finalised. One minister who attended a cabinet meeting chaired by Shaukat Aziz, the Prime Minister, said: "I feel that the elections may be delayed by two months. There will not be a delay of elections for longer than three months."

In his speech to lawyers, Mr Chaudhry said that he hoped he would soon join the protests. "The lawyers should convey my message to the people to rise up and restore the constitution. This is a time for sacrifices. I am under arrest now, but soon I will also join you in your struggle," he said. Mr Chaudhry released a statement to The Independent on Monday calling for the rule of law to be respected.

Opposition groups say 3,500 people have been held since the emergency, while government officials put the number at 2,500.

Khan's appeal

The former cricket star turned opposition politician Imran Khan told in a message passed via his ex-wife, Jemima Khan, how he fled arrest on Saturday after police ransacked his Lahore home and roughed up his family. The Movement for Justice Party's leader escaped before officers returned with an arrest warrant.

"They are using sheer force against lawyers, human rights organisations, political activists and all genuine opposition leaders are in jail.

"This move of Musharraf's will ignite militancy and extremism. When you suppress democratic forces, then the only way to resist is through militancy. Our aim is to continue the struggle and mobilise the youth of the country from underground.

"I believe that the Americans are complicit ... They are backing Musharraf as he could never get his way if they were serious about stopping him. The reason he is still getting support from the army is because of US backing."

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