Sharif meets envoys, march blocked, lawyers protest
(6 Dec 2007) Islamabad 1. Police standing behind barbed wire barricade blocking road leading to official residence of Pakistan's deposed Supreme Court Chief Justice's Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, where he is being held under house arrest 2. Wide of scores of police blocking road 3. Leader of Pakistan opposition party Pakistan Muslim League (N) (PML-N), Nawaz Sharif, getting out of car surrounded by supporters 4. Sharif, surrounded by media, pushing through crowd towards Chaudry's home 5. SOUNDBITE: (Urdu) Nawaz Sharif, Leader of opposition party Pakistan Muslim League (N): "Let us all make a promise that we will not rest until Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry and the 60 other judges who refused to become Musharraf's loyalists are restored." 6. Wide of Sharif addressing supporters on road leading up to Chaudhry's residence 7. Women singing AUDIO: (Urdu) "Long Live Pakistan" 8. Wide of Sharif and PML-N party officials during meeting with ambassadors from Arab nations at a hotel in Pakistani capital 9. Sharif and PML-N party officials during meeting 10. Delegation of Arab ambassadors 11. Sharif walking in hotel lobby 12. SOUNDBITE: (English) Nawaz Sharif, Leader of opposition party Pakistan Muslim League (N): "What I am trying to say is that my nomination papers, Mr. Shahbaz Sharif's nomination papers, have been rejected. This is a blatant proof of pre-poll rigging and this also tells us the government is heading for a massive rigging of the elections." 13. Cutaway of photographers 14. Sharif walking with ambassadors Lahore 15. Various of lawyers marching in protest against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf 16. Various of lawyers chanting slogans 17. Police in riot gear walking towards protestors 18. Lawyers chanting slogans 19. SOUNDBITE: (English) Inayat Malik, Senior Lawyer of Supreme Court, Lahore bench: "It is our demand that the superior judges and the Chief Justice of Pakistan (Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry) should be reinstated and should be restored immediately and the constitution should also be restored and the state of emergency should be lifted immediately. Until then we will continue our protest and we will continue our struggle." 20. Lawyers holding banner and chanting slogans 21. Crowd of lawyers standing in front of Lahore STORYLINE: Police erected barricades to block former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and hundreds of supporters as they tried to march to the heavily guarded home of Pakistan's deposed chief justice on Thursday. The protesters were nearly outnumbered by riot police, who blocked the route to the official residence of Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry with concrete blocks, steel and barbed wire. Chaudhry has been under house arrest since November 3, when President Pervez Musharraf declared a state of emergency and sacked most of the Supreme Court justices, just before they were to rule on the validity of his re-election in October. Musharraf has since stacked the court with loyalists, who have promptly dismissed all complaints against the former general's election. Sharif led the marchers, who included members of his party, lawyers in black suits and a number of women carrying flowers, chanting "Finish with your show; go, Musharraf, go", to the barricades. He then briefly addressed the marchers before they dispersed peacefully, defusing a potential showdown. Sharif vowed to continue pursuing the reinstatement of Chaudhry and other judges. Both parties claim the government plans to rig the vote, and have threatened a boycott unless their demands are met. 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...
