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Journalism of Courage
Chanting supporters welcomed Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto to the city of Lahore on Sunday, ahead of a mass protest she plans against President Pervez Musharraf’s emergency rule.
Waving the black, red and green flags of her Pakistan People’s Party, hundreds of frenzied activists shouted “Benazir Prime Minister!” and “Long live Bhutto”.
Bhutto intends to lead a procession of vehicles to Islamabad on Tuesday to demand Musharraf quit as army chief, end the emergency rule, restore the constitution and free thousands of detained lawyers and opponents.
Police have vowed to block the convoy, just as they stifled a planned protest rally in the city of Rawalpindi on Friday — when Bhutto was held under house arrest for most of the day.
“I am here for democracy,” Bhutto said on arrival at Lahore airport, where several hundred party activists and supporters managed to negotiate their way past barricades manned by police in riot vests wielding batons and shields. Punjab province’s elite police unit, with “No Fear” printed on their tracksuits, stood guard.
Bhutto welcomed the election date announcement by Musharraf, but said it was not enough. “It is a positive step to defuse the situation to some extent, but it will not help to resolve all problems,” she later told a news conference at the Lahore residence of one of her party leaders. “We are not totally satisfied … The long march will continue.”
But she has not ruled out further talks with Musharraf. “We haven’t shut the doors to negotiation,” she said. “To move forward, Musharraf should retire from his army post, restore the judiciary, release the political activists and restore the constitution.”
