News

Three more dead in Pakistani riots

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Pakistan's pro-government supporters and opposition party members continued to clash in the southern port city of Karachi on Sunday, resulting in exchanges of gunfire that left three dead, police said.
The angry mobs also burned tires and threw stones, prompting police to use tear gas and batons in an attempt to disperse the crowd.
A day earlier, at least 36 people were killed in similar clashes in Karachi, including many supporters of the country's ousted chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry.
Chaudhry had been scheduled to address a bar association meeting in Karachi on Saturday but was forced to turn back to Islamabad from the airport because of the upheaval.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf removed Chaudhry from his post on March 9, accusing him of misusing his powers. The dismissal has sparked widespread and largely peaceful demonstrations.
The atmosphere in Karachi grew tense on Saturday after unknown gunmen shot and killed six political workers of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League. Police said the gunmen opened fire on them as they were putting up welcome posters for Chaudhry.
More than 15,000 police officers were deployed in Karachi along with paramilitary troops to help sustain the peace, according to police. However, they were not been able to control the situation, police said.
More than 800 pro-Chaudhry labor and student organization members were arrested prior to Chaudhry's arrival.
Musharraf accused Chaudhry of misusing his powers. Chaudhry subsequently was placed under house arrest, a move that outraged many Pakistanis as well as attorneys who have boycotted the courts. It has since been rescinded.
Pakistan's Supreme Court bar and many legal experts have said Musharraf does not have the constitutional power to remove the chief justice from the bench. So far, 14 superior and civil court judges and two deputy attorney generals have resigned over the matter.
Chaudhry was appointed to the court by Musharraf in 2005, but he recently started exercising independence from the government in a number of cases involving the disappearance of terror suspects and human rights activists.
The United States has tiptoed around the matter, partly because Musharraf is a key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism.
Musharraf's critics accused him of removing Chaudhry in an effort to intimidate the judiciary ahead of crucial elections and a vote in parliament to extend his rule later this year.
At a public rally in Islamabad on Saturday, Musharraf condemned "people who are talking about justice, but creating chaos that is not justice."
He said the Karachi incident occurred because the judicial dispute "was given a political flavor."
Musharraf said he would respect the decision of the Supreme Court over Chaudhry.
"My heart is crying to see people dying, being martyred, destroying properties, destroying TV stations," he told the rally.
"If you think you are gaining freedom for the judiciary, then you are wrong. This is no way to gain freedom for the judiciary. Don't get into politics and let (the) judiciary do justice. This is the only way."
-- CNN's Syed Mohsin Naqvi contributed to this report.

posted by mhai @ 9:16 AM