[Onthebarricades] PAKISTAN: Protests and unrest after political leader slain

[Andy]

*  Al-Qaeda blamed as Pakistan burns
*  Protesters target police, stores in Peshawar and elsewhere
*  Massive unrest in Sindh; protesters block roads, burn cars; 10 accidental 
deaths of workers, trapped in burning building
*  Factories, car showroom burnt; death toll reaches 32
*  Protest organised in Swabi
*  Rawalpindi:  police hide as protesters blame Musharraf
*  Hyderabad:  five wounded as police shoot protesters
*  Lahore:  lawyers, NGOs protest killing
*  Musharraf threatens crackdown as unrest continues
*  PPP pledges to continue rallies until election
*  Rawalpindi:  five injured as police attack lawyers' demonstration
*  Lahore:  protest by PPP, lawyers, students passes off without clashes

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3106200.ece

December 29, 2007
Al-Qaeda is blamed as Pakistan burns

Image :1 of 10
Zahid Hussain in Karachi, Jeremy Page in Lahore and Times Online
Graphic: Violence in Pakistan
Benazir Bhutto was laid to rest before tens of thousands of mourners 
yesterday as Pakistan's Government accused al-Qaeda of killing her and a 
furious row erupted over precisely how she died.
More than 30 people were killed as riots erupted across the country. Banks, 
police and railway stations, shops, factories, foreign fast-food outlets and 
vehicles were set ablaze in cities throughout Pakistan.
Demonstrators exchanged gun-fire with police, aircraft were grounded, 
railway lines severed and roads blocked. Troops were on the streets of the 
main cities and, in Karachi, Ms Bhutto's stronghold, they had orders to 
shoot rioters.
"I don't fear death... I don't think it can happen unless God wants it to 
happen because so many people have tried to kill me"
The Government fuelled the anger by claiming that Ms Bhutto was killed not 
by bullets or shrapnel, but when the impact of a suicide bomb smashed her 
head against the lever of her vehicle's sunroof.
Farooq Naik, Ms Bhutto's lawyer, called the claim a "pack of lies" designed 
to cover up a serious security lapse, and said that the country was "heading 
towards civil war".

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/pakistan-police-tear-gas-protest/2007/12/28/1198345171832.html

Pakistan police tear gas protest

PAKISTAN police used tear gas and batons to break up an angry demonstration 
today in the city of Peshawar after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.

More than 100 angry supporters of Mrs Bhutto blocked the main trunk road in 
the northwestern city, torching billboards and posters of the main party 
behind President Pervez Musharraf, a Bhutto rival, before police moved in.

They shouted slogans including "Musharraf is a dog" and "Long live Bhutto". 
There was also the sound of gunfire, apparently from angry residents firing 
in the air.

Furious protesters took to the streets in groups, some of them opening fire 
in the air and screaming.

Four Pakistani police were shot and wounded while 20 homes in one village 
were set on fire as unrest erupted in different cities, police and witnesses 
said.

One local police station was pelted with stones, as were some private 
vehicles, the reporter said.

Demonstrators were also seen ripping down campaign posters of rival 
candidates.

Buildings in Jacobabad, including the main court and banks, were also set on 
fire. Jacobabad is the hometown of Pakistan's caretaker prime minister.

Mobs also torched several shops, including some belonging to relatives of 
Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro, said residents of the city, in the 
southern Sindh province.

Portraits of Soomro were also set on fire while demonstrators took to the 
streets, blocking roads and a railway track.

Mrs Bhutto returned from exile in October, planning to contest the January 8 
parliamentary election.

There were also protests in the central city of Multan, where around 100 
people from Mrs Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) burnt tyres in the 
streets and blocked traffic.

Residents said police had stepped up patrols. Local traders announced a 
three-day period of mourning when shops and markets would be shut.

Shops were also closed in Karachi, Mrs Bhutto's home city. Protesters burnt 
tyres and blocked major roads, triggering a massive traffic jam in some 
places.

"This is a very big tragedy. May Allah save Pakistan," said Karachi resident 
Shahina Begum.

AFP

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22979627-663,00.html

Four die as mobs protest at killing

December 28, 2007 07:10am


AT least 10 people were killed and dozens wounded today as angry mobs took 
to the streets in several Pakistan cities after the assassination of Benazir 
Bhutto, the interior ministry said.

"The death toll in the unrest after Bhutto's death is 10, mostly in Sindh 
province," ministry spokesman Javed Cheema told AFP.

He said dozens of people had been wounded in the violence, which hit several 
cities across the country. Four died in Karachi, four in rural Sindh 
province in the south and two in Lahore, he said.

Scores of buildings and vehicles were set alight and sporadic gunfire was 
heard in several cities.

Police said two people were shot dead in rioting in the eastern city of 
Lahore and two others in the southern province of Sindh, Bhutto's 
birthplace.

In Lahore, markets and shops closed down as paramilitary patrols roamed the 
streets in an attempt to keep a lid on the violence.

In Karachi, police said at least 70 vehicles were burnt by protesters, 
including 35 trucks filled with wheat. All petrol pumps were immediately 
closed as knots of protesters blocked many roads.

Witnesses said that as news spread of Bhutto's assassination in a suicide 
attack, the streets of Karachi were clogged with traffic as panicked people 
tried to rush home.

The mood was tense in Bhutto's home town of Larkana, where two banks were 
set on fire, witnesses said.

In Peshawar, in the northwest, police used teargas and batons to break up 
angry crowds and in the central city of Multan some protesters fired shots 
into the air and many shouted slogans including "(President) Musharraf is a 
dog'' and "Long live Bhutto''.

As angry Bhutto supporters looked for a scapegoat for her death, residents 
in the Sindh town of Jacobabad said shops belonging to the family of interim 
Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro were burned down.

Portraits of Soomro were set on fire while demonstrators took to the 
streets, blocking roads and a railway track. The main court, banks and other 
buildings were also set alight.

-         AFP

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22983826-5005961,00.html

Workers burn to death as riot toll hits 32
Article from: Agence France-Presse
>From correspondents in Karachi

December 29, 2007 02:30am

SIX people were burnt to death when a mob enraged by the assassination of 
former premier Benazir Bhutto torched a factory in the southern Pakistani 
city of Karachi, police said.

It was not immediately known if the victims had already been counted in the 
32 deaths reported earlier by officials, as the country reeled from a spate 
of arson attacks, shootings and other violence since Bhutto was slain on 
Thursday.

"The mob stormed into a leather factory in the Korangi area of Karachi. They 
set it on fire and six labourers were burnt to death," police official Latif 
Siddiqi said.

The workers had stayed in the factory overnight because there was no 
transport to get them home, after opposition leaders called for a national 
strike to protest Bhutto's killing, keeping taxis and buses off the roads.

Siddiqi said rioters also burnt down a BMW car showroom and ransacked a 
medicine factory and a private hospital in the same area of the city, 
Pakistan's largest and the economic hub of the country.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=88482

Political parties in Swabi protest Benazir's assassination

By By our correspondent
12/30/2007
SWABI: The leaders of various political parties staged a protest 
demonstration Saturday against the assassination of Pakistan People's Party 
Chairperson Benazir Bhutto.

"Ghaibana Namaz-i-Janaza" was offered at three different places: Government 
High School Playground and at two-venue on Swabi-Mardan Road. The workers of 
PPP, ANP, PML-N, JI, JUI-F, PPP (Sherpao) and Pakistan Awami Party gathered 
in the Kernel Sher Chowk, chanted slogans against government and demanded 
that the rulers should immediately step down. The protesters marched through 
the main Swabi Bazaar and returned to the Kernel Sher Chowk through link 
road. Traffic on all roads remained blocked for six hours. The ANP district 
president Haji Rehmanullah led a protest rally in the Shewa Adda and marched 
towards the district headquarters.

The district nazim Shahram Khan ordered to close down all the institutions 
while announcing three days mourning.

Meanwhile, Dr Yasmin Jasim, district president of the ANP women wing said 
that it was a great shock for the whole countrymen that the leader like 
Benazir Bhutto was brutally assassinated. She said in a press statement that 
at present crucial juncture the country needed leaders like Benazir Bhutto.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a280Tcz88BN8&refer=home

Pakistan's Biggest City Shuts Down as Bhutto Supporters Riot

By Asim Hafeez


Dec. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Pakistan's biggest city of Karachi was completely 
shut down this evening after rioters burned dozens of cars and set fire to 
stores to protest the killing of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

All the city's petrol stations were sealed off and street lights were turned 
off. Protestors exchanged fire with the police in some parts of the city.

Bhutto, 54, was killed in a suicide bomb attack on an election rally in 
Rawalpindi. At least 16 people were killed in the bombing and more than 60 
injured, police said.

http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2007/dec/28/witness-tells-of-chaos-after-slaying-police-as/

Police absent as Bhutto's supporters riot
Witness tells of chaos after slaying

By Saeed Shah
McClatchy Newspapers
Friday, December 28, 2007

Shakil Adil / AP Angry protesters burn vehicles after the killing of 
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto on Thursday in Karachi, 
Pakistan. Bhutto was shot and killed in a suicide attack on her vehicle in 
Rawalpindi.

B.K. Bangash / AP A supporter of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir 
Bhutto mourns at the site of her assassination in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on 
Thursday. The killer blew himself up after the attack, killing and wounding 
others.

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan - It was on the drive out of the downtown park that the 
assassin fired the fatal bullets at Benazir Bhutto.

The election rally had been long and lackluster, but on viewing the crowd 
gathered at the gates of Liaquat Bagh park, Bhutto turned to her deputy, 
Amin Fahim, and said she wanted to wave, Fahim recounted. The sunroof was 
opened and she stood up.

Three to five shots were fired at her, witnesses said. She was hit in the 
neck and slumped back in the vehicle. Blood poured from her head, and she 
never regained consciousness. Moments after the shooting, there was a huge 
explosion to the left of the vehicle.

Witnesses said that Bhutto's bodyguards pounced on the assassin, who then 
blew himself up, shredding those around him. The road turned red with pools 
of blood.

Police abandoned posts

"I was standing near the rally stage, about 30 to 40 yards away from the 
scene of the shooting. There was pandemonium. On hearing the shots, I 
started running toward the scene. Then came the explosion. I ran back a bit. 
I didn't see the killer, and by the time I got to the gates, Bhutto's SUV 
was driving to a Rawalpindi hospital. She didn't have a chance," Fahim said.

The assassination occurred in this garrison city housing the headquarters of 
the Pakistan army, an institution that has always seemed opposed to Bhutto. 
A couple of miles away across Rawalpindi, a previous military regime had 
executed her father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Pakistan's first democratically 
elected prime minister, in 1979, when she was 26.

Police officers had frisked the 3,000 to 4,000 people attending Thursday's 
rally when they entered the park, but as the speakers from Bhutto's Pakistan 
People's Party droned on, the police abandoned many of their posts. As she 
drove out through the gate, her main protection appeared to be her own 
bodyguards, who wore their usual white T-shirts inscribed: "Willing to die 
for Benazir."

Ghulam Mustafa, a witness at the scene, said he saw bodies with missing 
heads and limbs.

"This happens only in Iraq, Afghanistan or Pakistan. Why not America?" he 
asked.

Bhutto's party had complained repeatedly that the government provided her 
with inadequate security. She had narrowly escaped another assassination 
attempt at her homecoming parade Oct. 18 in Karachi, which left 140 dead.

At Rawalpindi General Hospital, hundreds of Bhutto supporters pushed their 
way in, filling the corridors, weeping and shouting. They chanted "Musharraf 
is a dog" and "Musharraf murderer," referring to President Pervez Musharraf.

"They killed her father. They killed her two brothers. It is a national 
tragedy," said Safraz Khan, a near-hysterical supporter. "She was the force 
to unite Pakistan."

Youths take to the streets

A frail man in the emergency ward, Saqib Hussain, with tears rolling down 
his cheeks said: "I am 70, but today I feel like an orphan."

In the streets, youths manned intersections and lit fires. They stopped 
traffic and smashed cars. They cut electrical wires, plunging the city into 
darkness. No police were visible, in the hospital or the streets. These 
scenes were repeated in major cities across Pakistan. In Karachi, young 
supporters went on a rampage, shooting randomly at passing cars.

The crowd at the hospital seemed sure that the army and Musharraf's regime - 
the "establishment" - were behind the attack. Security experts think that 
al-Qaida and Taliban militants were the most likely perpetrators of 
Thursday's and October's attacks.

"GHQ (general headquarters of the army) killed her," Sardar Saleem, a former 
member of parliament, said.

Fahim, the deputy leader of Bhutto's party, announced 40 days of mourning, 
saying simply: "We are shattered."

Bhutto embodied the Pakistan People's Party, leaving it without any other 
popular leaders. It was the only major liberal political force in the 
country, stridently opposed to religious extremism. The United States had 
backed Bhutto strongly as the next prime minister, a post she had held twice 
before and looked likely to win again in a fair election.

Bhutto knew the risks she was taking by openly campaigning. But she had said 
that she believed that most Pakistanis opposed extremism.

In a recent speech, she said: "This great land of ours is not a land of 
terrorists. It is not a land of militants. It is a land of laborers, who 
work hard to earn a living."

In her speech Thursday, she said she'd be the "leading light to tackle 
terrorism."

Bhutto's body was being flown to the south of the country, to her hometown 
of Larkana, where her father's body is buried in a giant mausoleum. Her 
controversial husband, Asif Zardari, and their three children flew to 
Rawalpindi from Dubai, where he has lived in exile. They accompanied the 
body to Larkana.

Liaquat Bagh, the venue for rally, has a grim history. It was where Liaquat 
Ali Khan, Pakistan's first prime minister, was assassinated in 1951.

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSISL32450920071228

Five hurt Pakistani police open fire on protest
Fri Dec 28, 2007 4:21am EST
HYDERABAD, Pakistan (Reuters) - Pakistani police opened fire on protesters 
in the southern city of Hyderabad on Friday, wounding five, as violent 
disturbances over the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto 
intensified, police said.

"We opened fire when protesters got more violent and we failed to disperse 
them. Five of them have received bullet wounds," said police officer Abdul 
Qadir Summo.

(Editing by Robert Birsel)

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C12%5C29%5Cstory_29-12-2007_pg13_3

Lawyers, NGOs protest Benazir's killing

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) and civil society 
activists on Friday held a joint rally at the GPO Chowk to protest Benazir 
Bhutto's assassination. LHCBA president Ahsan Bhoon, advocates Muhammad 
Azhar Siddique, Khuram Latif Khan Khosa, Naveed Anayat Malik and over a 
dozen of their colleagues, staged a sit-in at the GPO Chowk after they were 
not allowed to enter the LHC building. Activists from the Labour Party and 
Women's Action Forum also joined the lawyers and raised anti-government 
slogans. Addressing the rally, Bhoon held the government responsible for the 
incident. He said the funeral of Benazir Bhutto would be held at the LHCBA 
compound on Monday. He said no lawyer would appear in any court for 15 days. 
Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) vice chairman Aziz Akbar Baig has announced that 
no lawyer would appear in any court of the country till December 31. Former 
PBC member Hafiz Abdul Rehman Insari has demanded that President Pervez 
Musharraf should step down. staff report

http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070037200&ch=12/29/2007%209:27:00%20PM

Musharraf talks tough against rioters

Saturday, December 29, 2007 (Islamabad)
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday ordered security forces to 
deal firmly with rioters indulging in violence during protests against the 
assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto, saying no one will be 
allowed to derail next month's general elections.

While the entire country is in mourning over the tragic death of Bhutto, 
anti-social elements ''cannot be allowed to damage lives and property of the 
common man in the guise of protests,'' Musharraf said while co-chairing a 
meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro to review law and 
order in the violence-hit country.

''Elements who wish to exploit the situation by looting and plundering must 
be dealt with firmly and all measures must be taken to ensure the safety and 
security of the people,'' he said.

Hurdles to the holding of a free and fair general election in January will 
not be tolerated, Musharraf told the meeting that was attended by caretaker 
Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan, army chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani and 
heads of security agencies.

Musharraf also directed the security agencies to protect all vital 
installations across the country.

Noting the problems faced by people due to the closure of chemists, 
bakeries, grocery stores and petrol and CNG pumps because of fears of 
looting, the President directed law enforcement agencies to ensure an early 
return to normalcy.

Burning and looting

The burning and looting of property and businesses would render many jobless 
and create serious problems for their families and cannot be allowed, he 
added.

The meeting, held at the President's Camp Office in Rawalpindi, was briefed 
about the current law and order situation in the four provinces, 
particularly Sindh, where the army has been called out to help the civil 
administration.

Meanwhile, the army was called into Karachi on Saturday, the third day of 
violent protests in Pakistan after Bhutto's assassination.

Thousands of protestors continued to protest on the streets of Rawalpindi, 
rioters smashed property and clashed with police who fired tear gas to try 
and subdue the crowd.

About 38 people have now died in the violence and caused tens of millions of 
dollars in damage.

Sindh province, a stronghold of her Pakistan People's Party, was hit hardest 
by the violence.

More than 200 bank branches were burnt or damaged, hundreds of government 
buildings and offices were vandalised and over 425 vehicles were torched in 
Karachi alone. (With PTI inputs)

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C01%5C01%5Cstory_1-1-2008_pg11_5

PPP continues protest rallies

Staff Report

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan People's Party (PPP) workers continued to stage protest 
rallies in various parts of the city on the fifth consecutive day against 
the assassination of PPP Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto.

They chanted slogans against President Pervez Musharraf and demanded that 
the government arrest the mastermind behind the assassination of Benazir 
Bhutto. They said the protests would continue till the elections - quoting 
their leader that democracy was the best revenge.

A small group of PPP workers and supporters gathered at Raja Bazaar and near 
the Lal Haveli, office of former minister and PML-Q candidate from NA-55 and 
NA56 Shiekh Rashid Ahmed.

More than 100 policemen guarded the Lal Haveli to avoid any untoward 
incident. When protestors marched towards the Lal Haveli,police used tear 
gas to disperse them.

The situation became tense after the tear gas shelling, which compelled the 
shopkeepers to close their shops in Raja Bazaar, Moti Bazaar, Bara Market, 
Iqbal Road, Jamia Masjid Road, Banni, Circular Road, Narankari Bazaar, 
Kashmiri Bazaar and City Saddar Road to avoid any untoward situation.

Public transport remained suspended for some time due to traffic jam on 
roads in some downtown areas. The Punjab Police, Muhafiz Force and Elite 
Force patrolled the slip roads leading to Raja Bazaar. On police orders, CNG 
stations on Liaquat Road, Ratta Road, Gunjmandi, Bagh Sardarn, Asghar Mall 
Road and some other adjoining roads were also immediately closed down.

Earlier, in the morning all the city bazaars, markets and trading centres 
were opened. After the PPP rally, the bazaars and markets were closed again. 
The shopkeepers were seen sitting outside their shops.

Some PPP workers displayed a large portrait of Benazir Bhutto at the main 
gate of Liaquat Memorial Hall, where she was murdered along with some party 
workers on Thursday.

Party workers and activists lit candles and laid floral wreaths at the place 
to pay homage to Benazir Bhutto.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C01%5C01%5Cstory_1-1-2008_pg11_2

RDBA protest against Benazir's assassination: Five lawyers injured in police 
baton-charge

Staff Report

RAWALPINDI: Five lawyers who were protesting against the assassination of 
PPP chairwoman Benazir Bhutto were injured when police baton charged them on 
the district courts premises on Monday.

Despite winter holidays at the courts, lawyers gathered at the courts 
premises on the protest call by the Rawalpindi District Bar Association 
(RDBA).

After the RDBA general body meeting, the lawyers tried to move towards 
Kutchery Chowk. Police closed gate No 1 to stop them from moving outside the 
courts premises and baton charged them. As a result, RDBA General Secretary 
Intizar Mehdi, Abdul Haleem Qureshi, Ahsan Satti, Rana Munir and Sardar 
Bilal Qayyum were injured. Reacting to the police action, the lawyers pelted 
police with stones and forced them to retreat. A police mobile van was also 
damaged.

Mehdi told Daily Times that the police action was pre-planned. He said 
police wanted to create a law and order situation. He said after the end of 
emergency rule in the country everyone had the right to hold protest rallies 
and police action was unjustified.

After law-enforcement agencies closed the main gate and deployed a heavy 
contingent of police on the courts premises, the lawyers used other gates 
and courts' walkways to reach Kutchery Chowk. They chanted slogans against 
the government and blocked the traffic for half-an-hour. After the protest 
demonstration they returned to the courts premises peacefully.

Earlier, condemning Benazir Bhutto's assassination the lawyers said it was a 
great loss to the country. They added that Bhutto was a symbol of the 
federation's unity.

They urged all the political parties to play their role to save the country 
from chaos emerging after Bhutto's assassination.

'Fair investigation impossible': They said a fair investigation into Bhutto's 
murder could not be held in the presence of a biased administration and 
while the judiciary remained partial.

They said the government had lost its credibility, especially after the 
press conference of Interior Ministry's spokesman who had tried to hide the 
facts. They demanded that the government restore all deposed judges, 
including chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. They claimed that had 
Chaudhry been in his office he would have taken suo motu notice of the 
December 27 incident. Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) Rawalpindi 
bench President Sardar Asmatullah who chaired the general body meeting said 
2007 was the worst year in Pakistan's history. He also paid glowing tributes 
to Bhutto. LHCBA Secretary General Sajid Illyas Bhatti said Pakistan People's 
Party should remain united to save the federation.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C01%5C09%5Cstory_9-1-2008_pg7_37

People protest Benazir's assassination and judiciary's suspension

* Students, human rights activists, lawyers, PPP workers take part

Staff Report

LAHORE: Dozens of students from various universities, in collaboration with 
the civil society members and the lawyers, on Tuesday protested against the 
suspension of the judiciary and assassination of Pakistan People's Party 
(PPP) chairperson Benazir Bhutto at Minto Park.

The peaceful protest started at 2:30pm. Pamphlets containing a picture of 
the PPP chairperson were distributed among people at the venue. The masses, 
lawyers, the PPP workers and human rights activists demanded the immediate 
arrest of Benazir Bhutto's killers.

The Student Action Committee (SAC) - representing 21 colleges and 
universities of the city - arranged the protest to oppose the suspension of 
the independent judiciary. The SAC members, human rights activists and 
lawyers gathered at Minar-e-Pakistan despite the rain. The protesters 
chanted slogans against President Pervez Musharraf and the government.

Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) chairperson Asma Jahangir, 
addressing the gathering, said the hope of democracy (Benazir Bhutto) had 
been snatched by the enemies of Pakistan.

She said Bhutto had been fighting for the restoration of democracy but her 
assassination had staggered the nation, throwing it into uncertainty. "The 
people should come on the roads for their basic rights," she said.

Advocate Khurram Latif Khosa said the lawyers would continue supporting the 
students' movement for the restoration of the independent judiciary. The SAC 
members said all the crises Pakistan had been facing could be resolved after 
the restoration of the judiciary. "The crises of electricity, flour and gas 
have gripped the neck of the common people. The frustrated masses are unable 
to buy items of daily use owing to the spiralling prices of essential 
commodities," they said. They said the generals and the dictatorial regime 
were enemies of democracy and the country.

Irfan, a lawyer, wondered how the killers of Bhutto would be punished in the 
absence of an independent judiciary.

He said the delay in action against the killers was possible, as the killers 
of political leaders had always slipped away from the clutches of the law in 
the past.

A SAC member said the committee was protesting against the removal of the 
pre Nov 3 judiciary that stood for the rule of law and against the 
inefficiency displayed by the establishment, which led to the assassination 
of thousands of citizens, including a powerful leader of the opposition.

He said Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan's baseless detention kept getting prolonged 
and the treatment meted out to him suggested that the regime only favoured a 
partisan attitude.

The protesters demanded that the pre Nov 3 judiciary should be restored, 
without which the elections could not be free and fair. They condemned the 
assassination of the PPP chairperson and called it a severe failure of the 
dictatorial regime.