Public outcry against Musharraf grows

On 9 March 2006 President Musharraf of Pakistan sacked the nation's senior most judge, a move widely seen as an attempt to stymie dissent against his dictatorial rule. You can read a good summary of the situation here. Last week Chief Justice Chaudhry traveled from Islamabad to Lahore to take part in his misconduct proceedings. A journey that would usually take 4 hours took 24 as well wishers lined the road from Islamabad to Lahore to express their support for him.

Dawn's I.A. Rehman described it nicely:

What happened in Lahore on Saturday night and on Sunday morning and all along the highway from Islamabad to the Punjab capital over 24 hours has no precedent in Pakistan’s history. We have certainly witnessed bigger congregations and quite a few incidents are on record when thousands of people waited for six to eight hours for their leader’s appearance at the meeting venue. But the crowd that waited for the Chief Justice at the Lahore High Court, and outside its building, was in a class of its own. And so was the occasion.

BBC reports that hundreds of people were arrested to prevent them from taking part in the demonstratons.

Since then, just this Saturday, clashes between pro and anti Musharraf political parties in Karachi turned violent killing at least 34 and injurying hundreds more. The Musharraf Government is looking ever more fragile. There are rumours that Musharraf is quietly doing a deal with Benazir Bhutto for a face-saving power sharing arrangement. But for now those remain rumors.

No word yet from Washington or London as to whether Pakistan is going to be invaded with a view to instaling a democracy.