Police storm Lahore HC

The lawyers opposed to President Pervez Musharraf’s action against the country’s top judge had assembled today in the court compound in the eastern city and violence broke out when policemen used batons to disperse the stone-pelting crowd.

When its action failed to deter the agitators, police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets in a bid to prevent them from breaking through the court’s gates and coming out for a march on the street.

Television channels showed pictures of wounded lawyers being carried in vans to hospitals.

The lawyers had called the meeting to discuss further action after the March 9 suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry by President Musharraf which has sparked daily demonstrations in various urban centres in Pakistan with opposition political parties also joining the protests.

Demonstrations were also held in the capital and several other cities today.

Meanwhile, police today removed the barricades on a road leading to Chaudhry’s home where he has been under house arrest for a week after the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) yesterday said no restrictions have been imposed on him to meet people.

The trial of Chaudhry did not make much headway on the second day of the hearing yesterday.

“The SJC made it clear that there was absolutely no restraint on the respondent who can move freely and everyone has access to see him,” said an official statement issued after Chaudhry’s appearance before the council. The clarification was given following arguments by his lawyers that security personnel created a “hindrance” to their meeting their client.

The five-judge SJC whose authority has already been questioned by Chaudhry in his first appearance on March 12 has adjourned the trial till March 21.

The government, which came under heavy criticism for its handling of the crisis, has suspended 14 policemen for their alleged involvement in the attack on Geo TV’s office.