Pakistanis Protest Top Judge's Ouster

Police fired tear gas at rock-throwing demonstrators Friday and detained scores of political activists, including an opposition party leader and a former national president, as angry protests broke out over the ouster of Pakistan's top judge.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf suspended Supreme Court chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry a week ago over unspecified allegations that he misused his office — drawing accusations that the military ruler wants a compliant judiciary ahead of national elections.

The action has proved deeply unpopular in Pakistan and has galvanized widespread opposition — from the public, liberal politicians and Islamic hard-liners alike — to Musharraf's 7½-year rule as he prepares to seek another presidential term this year.

Hundreds of supporters surrounded Chaudhry's car as he arrived at the court for a second hearing before a five-member panel of senior judges who are charged with deciding whether he should be fired or reinstated.

Police and paramilitary troops at roadblocks prevented more sympathizers from approaching the court building in Islamabad's government district.

Qazi Hussain Ahmad, the chief of the hard-line Islamist coalition, Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal, and at least seven other MMA lawmakers were arrested and an Associated Press reporter saw them being driven away in a police vehicle.

One of the lawmakers, Mohammed Usman, told AP by phone from the police van that he was beaten by police outside the court.

"God will punish Musharraf for what he has done with the chief justice," he said.

Officers fired tear gas and charged one group of protesters with wooden batons near the court. Demonstrators responded by throwing rocks. Video shown on Pakistan's Geo TV channel also showed police riding armored cars and firing what appeared to be rubber bullets.

Police later raided the office of Geo, which Thursday had one of its most popular news shows pulled off air — apparently for its coverage of the legal crisis.

"Police have attacked our office, they are breaking windows. They are beating our staff. They have used tear gas shells. Even our female staff have been hurt. They are damaging our building," Geo's Islamabad bureau chief Hamid Mir said on the air.

Information Minister Mohammed Ali Durrani, who was at the Geo building at the time, quickly condemned the police action but said all the staff inside were safe.

"I condemn this incident. There was no justification for it. Action will be taken against those responsible. Police should not have done it," he said.

Later Friday, Musharraf also apologized for the raid and promised action against those responsible.

"The first thing is that it was a very sad incident. It should have not happened, and I condemn it," Musharraf said in live phone interview with Geo. He said the "culprits responsible for it must be identified and action against them must be taken today."
There were also clashes between police and demonstrators in the eastern city of Lahore, where former President Rafiq Tarar was among hundreds of people who rallied in support of Chaudhry. Reporters saw Tarar, a former supreme court judge who served as president from 1988-2001, being taken away in a police vehicle. A police official said he would be taken home and released.

Dozens of opposition activists were detained in overnight raids in Islamabad and neighboring Rawalpindi, and more than 200 were arrested in Lahore, police and government officials told AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The government insists its actions against Chaudhry are not political.

But lawyers warned they were a grave threat to the judiciary's independence, and opposition politicians accused Musharraf of removing a judge who has embarrassed the authorities in several high-profile cases.

Chaudhry has pressed the government hard to provide information on the whereabouts of dozens of people said by relatives to be secretly held by Pakistani intelligence agencies. Last year, he embarrassed Musharraf with a ruling that blocked plans to privatize a huge state-run steel company.

The muscular response to the unrest will also do little to boost the image of Musharraf, who took power in a bloodless coup in 1999, promising to restore democracy.

"The military establishment has overstretched itself," columnist Khalid Jawed Khan wrote Friday in the respected Dawn newspaper. "While it wants to demonstrate its power, it is exposed and looks weakened as never before. The general has never been so vulnerable."

With parliamentary elections due within a year, the issue is particularly sensitive. Musharraf is expected to seek re-election from the outgoing assembly, and has given no indication that he is willing to yield to opposition demands that he give up his post as chief of the army — a stance likely to draw complaints to the Supreme Court.

The U.S. government, which says it values Musharraf's commitment to restoring democracy as well to countering terrorism, said Thursday it was watching the situation closely.

"It is a matter of deep concern, and we believe that the resolution of this matter should take place in a way that is completely transparent and strictly in accordance with Pakistan's laws," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

Chaudhry is vowing to fight to keep his job. After a hearing that lasted about two hours, his lawyer Tariq Mahmood said the case had been adjourned until March 21.