Musharraf jails lawyers, judges

November 7, 2007

Pakistani lawyers clashed with security forces protesting President Pervez Musharraf's declaration of a state of emergency that suspended the country's constitution and shut down the judiciary system.

Baton-wielding police fought with lawyers outside courthouses in Islamabad and Lahore again Tuesday, arresting dozens more as they enforced a crackdown that began with Musharraf's declaration on Saturday.

Thousands of the nation's lawyers sat in jails Tuesday -- and many judges were under house arrest -- while government officials insisted the declaration was necessary to the country's fight against terrorism and would not derail its slow progress toward democracy.

During a cabinet meeting Tuesday, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said that he and Musharraf believed "in the independence of the judiciary and said they had the greatest regard and respect for the judiciary," according to the APP.