Musharraf calls demonstrations move against nation

[brooklynite]

Lahore: President Pervez Musharraf said yesterday the attempts to politicise a judicial issue were a conspiracy against him and the country and vowed he would defeat it with the support of masses.

Addressing a public gathering at Pakpattan in Punjab, President Pervez Musharraf urged the people not to pay heed to the conspirators and reject their calls to come onto the streets to agitate.

The president said the reference to a judicial conference to inquiry into charges of misconduct and abuse of authority by suspended chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was not a personal issue.

http://www.gulfnews.com/world/Pakistan/10111907.html

.....or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

[htuttle]

1. Related: Pakistan police and lawyers clash

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6461319.stm

Police in Pakistan have fired teargas and used batons to disperse hundreds of lawyers in Lahore rallying against the suspension of the country's top judge.

Lawyers said more than two dozen people were injured in the north-eastern city.

Last week's removal of Supreme Court Judge Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for abuse of office has sparked protests in several cities.

(snip)

The clashes in Lahore started when police tried to stop the lawyers at the city's high court from holding a protest march, witnesses said.

The protesters then began hurling stones at the police, who hit back with stones, teargas and batons, a BBC correspondent in the city says.

(more at link)

This was no 'Brooks Brothers' riot (though they were indeed wearing suits). These lawyers got hurt...

[struggle4progress]

2. Police brutalities injure more than 100 lawyers in Lahore

Sunday March 18, 2007 (0435 PST)

LAHORE: Police tear-gassed and baton charged a rally in Lahore injuring more than 100 lawyers. Mall Road, GPO Chowk in front of the Lahore High Court building witnessed pitched battles between lawyers and the police on Saturday ...

A Suzuki Mehran caught fire that was parked within the High Court premises. Fire brigade squad reached the spot immediately at the High Court but the civil administrative and police officials present on the occasion didn`t allow the fire brigade engine to enter the High Court as it was thought that the lawyers will come out in case the gate is opened ...

ASP Operations stopped the police from entering the high court premises after they tried to with armored vehicles as the protesting lawyers hurled stones at the police.

Two lawyers Rana Akhtar Ali and Siddique Qadri were arrested by the police and after severe torture were shifted to an undisclosed location.

http://www.paktribune.com/news/index.shtml?172294

[TheConstantGardener]

3. A war against the judiciary in both nations

Both the nations of my family's heritage! Can this Bushite plague leave anyone alone?