Lawyers rally against state of emergency
(21 Nov 2007) 1. Wide of lawyers marching through Islamabad district courts area 2. Close of lawyers chanting 3. Close up of young girl watching, eating 4. Close up of lawyers chanting 5. Wide of lawyers marching 6. Cutaway of Wajihuddin Ahmed, Former Chief Justice 7. SOUNDBITE: (English) Wajihuddin Ahmed, Former Chief Justice: "It has become a broader campaign. It has become a campaign in pursuit of civil rights, in pursuit of civil liberties and that is a larger aspect." 8. Pan from police watching to marching lawyers chanting: UPSOUND (English): 'Go, Go, Musharraf, Go' 9. Pull out from hands making peace signs to Ahmed getting into car 10. Security near home of deposed Supreme Court chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry 11. Cutaway of barbed wire, fade to police 12. Pan from Ahmed unsuccessfully negotiating access to Chief Justice House 13. SOUNDBITE: (English) Wajihuddin Ahmed, Former Chief Justice: "They have destroyed the Pakistan judiciary. They have destroyed the Pakistan constitution, they have subverted the constitution and these are the means through which they are doing it." 14. Pan police to media around Ahmed STORYLINE: Lawyers in Pakistan's capital Islamabad continued their protests on Wednesday against President General Pervez Musharraf's imposition of a state of emergency on November 3 and the sacking of the country's top judges. About 100 lawyers marched around the capital's main courts chanting slogans against the president. Musharraf's main rival in October's controversial presidential election was retired judge Wajihuddin Ahmed who marched with the lawyers at Wednesday's protest. "It has become a broader campaign. It has become a campaign in pursuit of civil rights, in pursuit of civil liberties and that is a larger aspect," he said. With many senior lawyers and Pakistan's deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry remaining under house arrest, Ahmed is leading the lawyers opposition against Musharraf's actions. However, upon reaching the Chief Justice House, Ahmed, being refused access by police barricading the entrance, said their presence was symbolic of the breakdown in legal jurisdiction in the country. "They have destroyed the Pakistan judiciary. They have destroyed the Pakistan constitution, they have subverted the constitution and these are the means through which they are doing it," he said. Wednesday's protest happened a day after Musharraf freed thousands of opponents from jails in a sign he is rolling back a wave of repression under emergency rule and flew to Saudi Arabia to talk about the future of an exiled rival, Nawaz Sharif. The Interior Ministry said some 3,400 people had been released from lockup, among them political activists and lawyers at the forefront of protests against the Pakistani leader before and after he declared emergency rule on November 3. Dozens of journalists detained for several hours after clashing with police during a protest and newly freed opposition lawyers vowed to keep up their agitation. Musharraf insists the emergency was necessary to stop judges from interfering with the government's effort to counter militants linked to the Taliban and al-Qaida. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
