Police Beat Protesting Lawyers in Pakistan

A protest by 500 Pakistani lawyers turned violent Saturday as the demonstrators were barred from approaching Election Commission offices.

Riot police used batons and tear gas to keep the lawyers away from Election Commission offices in Islamabad, the British newspaper, The Independent, reported. Some of the protesters threw rocks in response.

I was repeatedly beaten by the police for just standing outside the Election Commission, said Tariq Hassan, a lawyer who participated in the demonstration.

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Pervez Musharraf could run for re-election next Saturday while continuing to wear his Army general’s uniform. Musharraf is expected to win in a vote by members of the national and regional legislatures.

Aitzaz Ahsan, a prominent lawyer and one of the organizers of the protest, said he believes the court made the wrong ruling.

Obviously, Gen. Musharraf, in what should have been his finest moment, has lost his nerve. The brutality and criminality is quite evident, Ahsan said as he took shelter from police in the Supreme Court building.