ISLAMABAD, April 17: Police are expected to deal strictly with the protesters in order to enforce Section 144 during the fifth hearing of the presidential reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry here on Wednesday.

About 3,000 police personnel would be deployed at different places in the capital, including the Supreme Court building, and all the entrance points of the city with directives to take strict action against those posing a threat to peace, sources said.

The police had been instructed to stop opposition leaders, workers and activists from entering Islamabad and going towards the Supreme Court, where the hearing would take place, they said.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Islamabad, Zafar Iqbal, told Dawn that up to 100 workers of opposition parties had been arrested under the Maintenance of Public Order law and the operation would continue till Wednesday morning. Police would stop the opposition activists from entering the capital, however, lawyers would be allowed to go to the Constitution Avenue, he added.

Police also arrested dozens of people in Lahore.