Pakistan court frees 300 lawyers on bail
8 November 2007, 10:31
Lahore - An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan Thursday granted bail to more than 300 lawyers arrested during protests against President Pervez Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule, attorneys said.
The 331 lawyers were detained in the eastern city of Lahore on Monday on charges of terrorism, rioting and attacking public property and police, their counsel Aftab Ahmed Bajwa told AFP.
"The judge allowed their bail applications. They were to be released after paying surety bonds of 20 000 rupees (about R2 100) each," Bajwa said.
Another 20 senior lawyers and rights activists, said by police to be the ringleaders of the protests, remained in custody, he added.
Lawyers have so far led most of the rallies against the state of emergency declared on Saturday, which led to the sacking of Pakistan's chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, when he refused to approve the measure.
Several lawyers and police were wounded when security forces baton-charged and tear-gassed lawyers in Lahore on Monday.
Officials say 3 000 people have been arrested nationwide since the state of emergency was imposed.
Separately in the southern city of Karachi, police registered sedition charges against five lawyers for allegedly distributing pamphlets inciting protests against emergency rule, officials said.
The lawyers remained in hiding and had not been arrested yet, police said.
A senior Karachi lawyer condemned the move, saying it was a part of a campaign of intimidation.
"It is part of the government's drive against the judiciary and lawyers," said lawyer Waheed Noor.
Chaudhry and eight other Supreme Court judges remain under effective house arrest.
Chaudhry has accused Musharraf of imposing the emergency because he feared an upcoming Supreme Court verdict on the legality of his victory in a presidential election on October 6.
The 331 lawyers were detained in the eastern city of Lahore on Monday on charges of terrorism, rioting and attacking public property and police, their counsel Aftab Ahmed Bajwa told AFP.
"The judge allowed their bail applications. They were to be released after paying surety bonds of 20 000 rupees (about R2 100) each," Bajwa said.
Another 20 senior lawyers and rights activists, said by police to be the ringleaders of the protests, remained in custody, he added.
Lawyers have so far led most of the rallies against the state of emergency declared on Saturday, which led to the sacking of Pakistan's chief justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, when he refused to approve the measure.
Several lawyers and police were wounded when security forces baton-charged and tear-gassed lawyers in Lahore on Monday.
Officials say 3 000 people have been arrested nationwide since the state of emergency was imposed.
Separately in the southern city of Karachi, police registered sedition charges against five lawyers for allegedly distributing pamphlets inciting protests against emergency rule, officials said.
The lawyers remained in hiding and had not been arrested yet, police said.
A senior Karachi lawyer condemned the move, saying it was a part of a campaign of intimidation.
"It is part of the government's drive against the judiciary and lawyers," said lawyer Waheed Noor.
Chaudhry and eight other Supreme Court judges remain under effective house arrest.
Chaudhry has accused Musharraf of imposing the emergency because he feared an upcoming Supreme Court verdict on the legality of his victory in a presidential election on October 6.
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