Pakistan police arrest more lawyers in emergency crackdown News
Pakistan police arrest more lawyers in emergency crackdown

[JURIST] Pakistani police Tuesday arrested more lawyers involved in protesting President Pervez Musharraf's Saturday declaration of emergency, suspension of the constitution, and effective dismissal of Pakistan's Supreme Court. AFP reports that some 50 lawyers were arrested at the Lahore High Court a day after a larger protest there escalated into violence [JURIST report]. Police took over the bar room of the local bar association and took away those who came in. Another 50 lawyers were arrested in other centers, including Multan in central Pakistan and in the southern city of Quetta. PPI reported that police registered cases against about 100 local lawyers in the city of Sialkot and arrested nine. Police in Daska registered against 76 lawyers and arrested 16 of them in connection with violence at a protest demonstration there on Monday. In Pasrur, seven lawyers were arrested. Dawn provides continuing coverage.

Local media said, however, that overall the situation in the country on Tuesday was calmer. Observers have suggested that the capacity of the country's bar to mount effective opposition to Musharraf's emergency declaration may be limited as an increasing number of leading lawyers – including the heads of many local bar associations – have been taken into custody or otherwise detained. The presidents of the Supreme Court Bar Association, the Lahore High Court Bar, the Sindh High Court Bar, the Lahore Bar Association, the Karachi Bar Association, and the Balochistan High Court Bar have all been arrested. Geo TV has more.