Islamabad: Lawyers in Pakistan observed a day of protest against General Pervez Musharraf's planned bid for re-election as president whose term is due to expire in November.
A spokesman of the Supreme Court Bar Association here said lawyers in a string of cities across the country did not attend courts and held rallies to start of what he called a movement for the restoration of true democracy.
During the rallies the lawyers also voiced their opposition to an expected deal between the Pakistan People's Party leader and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and President Musharraf. They demanded that the president step down and a fair and free general election be organised under neutral caretaker setup.
The protests remained peaceful except for an incident in Karachi where according to a private channel a pro-government lawyer was roughed up in Karachi at the bar room within the premises of the district courts.
A National Action Committee of the legal community has said lawyers would hold similar countrywide protest on the day Musharraf files his nomination papers to contest the presidential election.
The Election Commission has not yet announced a schedule for the presidential election, which the government has said would take place sometime between September 15 and October 15.
During a judicial crisis after the March nine move by Musharraf to oust Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, tens of thousands of lawyers conducted a spirited protest movement. The top judge was reinstated by the Supreme Court on July 20.
Slogans
In Lahore, about 500 lawyers wearing black armbands marched on a road chanting slogans against Musharraf.
Dozens of lawyers rallied in Quetta chanting 'Go Musharraf, Go!' Lawyers have been at the forefront of a campaign against military rule in Pakistan since Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, tried to sack the chief justice in March. The move sparked anti-government rallies until the Supreme Court reinstated the judge in July.
"This is the second phase of our protest, and God willing, we will again be successful," said Mohammad Azhar, a spokesman for the Supreme Court Bar Association. The association is the top representative body of lawyers in Pakistan.
"We are organising peaceful rallies against the dictatorial rule of Musharraf," he said. Despite the protests, a Supreme Court bench in Islamabad headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry heard legal challenges to Musharraf's dual role as president and army chief and his eligibility to run for another presidential term.
Musharraf is expected to seek a new five-year term from lawmakers by mid-October, but has yet to make a public commitment to resign as army chief. Many experts say that to keep his uniform - the main source of his power - beyond 2007 would violate the Constitution.
Political tensions are rising in Pakistan. Nawaz Sharif, the prime minister who was ousted by Musharraf in his coup, says he will return from exile on Monday to challenge Musharraf's bid to extend his rule and to contest parliamentary elections.
