Police clash with lawyers in Islamabad

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Source: CCTV.com | 02-10-2008 09:43

Police in riot gear have clashed with hundreds of lawyers protesting in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Police in riot gear have clashed with hundreds of lawyers protesting in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.(CCTV.com)

The lawyers want all judges who were fired after emergency rule was imposed last November back on the bench.

Lawyers marched to the residence of former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on Saturday.

Chaudhry has been under house arrest for more than three months.

Protesters also demanded the release of Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan, and other lawyer leaders also under house arrest.

Clashes erupted as police tried to block the lawyers from reaching the barricaded house of the deposed chief justice.

Several protesters were injured in the confrontation and taken into custody.

Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan's Bar Council announced a nationwide lawyers' boycott of courts until elections on February the 18th.

The move is part of a campaign to pressure the government to restore deposed top judges.

A prominent Supreme Court lawyer says the boycott decision was made at a Bar Council convention in Islamabad, before lawyers marched to Chaudry's house.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei