HYDERABAD, March 24: Activists of women wing of the Jamaat-i-Islami staged a protest demonstration outside the press club here on Saturday to protest against the ‘suspension’ of the chief justice of Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, Mehnaz Ameer said that the ‘government of generals’ had caused great harm to the ideology of Pakistan to please America. She said that after destroying other institutions of the country, the rulers were now trying to destroy judiciary and the media.

She demanded that Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Choudhry be reinstated with due honour and the police officers who had ransacked the office of a private TV channel and a newspaper and committed violence against the lawyers be arrested and awarded deterrent punishment.

Criticizing the Women’s Protection Act, she said that the women had been exposed to danger after the passage of the law and added that inhuman excesses were being committed against the women of Sindh.

The district president of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, Abdul Waheed Qureshi, criticized the suspension of the chief justice and attack on the media and lawyers. He said that the whole nation had taken to streets and was demanding resignation of President Musharraf.

Mr Qureshi said that an impartial interim government and an independent election commission should be appointed to hold free and transparent general elections.

HESCO: In the ongoing campaign against the defaulters, Hyderabad Electricity Supply Company officials disconnected power supply to over 150 consumers in the city on Saturday.

A Hyderabad Electricity Supply Company spokesman said in a statement that the Hesco teams accompanied by recovery magistrate Nasir Khaskheli had recovered Rs120,000 from some defaulters and disconnected power supply to 150 defaulters.

The spokesman advised the defaulters to clear their duties to avoid legal action and disconnections.