Anti-Musharraf demonstration in Karachi and Lahore; arrests
(23 Nov 2007) Karachi 1. Wide of protest of Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) 2. Various of women protesting, chanting and holding flags 3. Various of police arresting APDM members 4. Close-up of police 5. Police arresting protester, leading him to police vehicle and pushing him inside 6. Close-up of window with arrested protesters banging on it and shouting 7. Mid of police on street Lahore 8. Various of demonstrators carrying posters of Nawaz Sharif and party flags 9. Protesters chanting, UPSOUND (Urdu): "Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif " 10. Close-up of protesters chanting, UPSOUND (English): "Go Musharraf go" 11. Close-up of protesters chanting, UPSOUND (Urdu): "Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif " 12. SOUNDBITE: (Urdu) Haji Saeed Ahmed, party member of Nawz Sharif PML(N): "Our protest is against the emergency and against the ban on the media, for the free and impartial judiciary and our leader Nawaz Sharif should be allowed to come back to Pakistan, we are waiting day and night for him." 13. Various of police watching protest STORYLINE: Pakistani police arrested more than a dozen activists of the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) in Karachi on Friday for trying to organise a rally protesting against the emergency rule in the country. According to a senior police official, more than a dozen protestors were arrested for violating the law that prohibits gatherings of four or more people in public places. Political activists tried to gather in the city but police caught most of them, shoved them in vans and drove them to different police stations, witnesses said. Witnesses also said the police arrested around 50 political activists belonging to different political parties, including the supporters of former exiled premier Nawaz Sharif. Meanwhile people demonstrated in Lahore, chanting anti-Musharraf slogans but also carrying posters of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. "Our protest is against the emergency and against the ban on media, for the free and impartial judiciary and our leader Nawaz Sharif should be allowed to come back to Pakistan," said Haji Saeed Ahmed, a party member of Sharif PML(N). Pakistan on Friday denounced an international organisation's suspension of its membership, while an opposition party said its exiled leader was taking steps to return to the emergency-ruled country. The government condemned the banishment from the Commonwealth as "unreasonable and unjustified," It said the 53-nation body, comprising Britain and its former colonies, had failed to appreciate Pakistan's "serious internal crisis" in demanding that it immediately restore democracy. Meanwhile, the return of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from Saudi Arabia could bolster opponents of President General Pervez Musharraf before January 8 parliamentary elections. The US-allied leader was expected to give up his powerful military post as army chief within days in hopes of cooling domestic and foreign criticism over his three-week-old declaration of the state of emergency. But discontent has intensified this year over Musharraf's rule, which began with a coup that ousted Sharif as prime minister in 1999. Sharif is now a vehement critic of the general and leader of one of the two main opposition parties. Presidential spokesman Rashid Qureshi declined to say what Musharraf would do if Sharif tried to enter Pakistan. Sharif was swiftly deported to Saudi Arabia when he tried to return in September. Speculation that Saudi Arabia wanted Sharif to go home had been rife since Musharraf made a surprise trip to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, for talks with King Abdullah on Tuesday. 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...
