ISLAMABAD, Nov 4: Representatives of civil society organisations and lawyers staged a protest demonstration outside the Judges residential compound here on Sunday against imposition of emergency and sacking of the Supreme Court and high court judges.

The protesters said there was no justification for clamping emergency, suspending the constitution and sacking the judges of the superior courts. They described the action as a bid to postpone elections, but vowed to continue their struggle for restoration of complete democracy in the country despite all odds.

The demonstrators who were chanting slogans like ‘dictatorship not acceptable’ and ‘go Musharraf go’ tried to proceed towards the residence of Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, but when they reached the main gate of the colony, the police deployed there swung into action.

Former Supreme Court Bar Association president Mohammad Ikram Chaudhry and five other people including PML-N Islamabad chapter (women wing) president Nuzhat Amir were arrested for violating section 144.

The police also tried to arrest Asim Sajjad of Peoples’ Rights Movement (PRM) but changed their mind after his spouse and some other women protested.

An overall tense situation prevailed in the capital as heavy contingent of Islamabad police, Rangers, Punjab Constabulary and elite force was deployed at various points where suspected people were body searched.

Police were also deployed at the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Press Club’s camp office. City magistrate Farasat Ali Khan threatened the mediapersons present in the press club that anybody who stood outside the club would be arrested.

He also said nobody was allowed to address any press conference on the premises.

The Constitution Avenue remained closed for the public and only concerned persons were allowed entry.

Sensitive areas including Supreme Court and District Bar Association were cordoned off by the security personnel and barbed wires were laid to prevent en masse entry of people into the buildings.

Raids were being conducted to arrest the lawyers in a big number ahead of their scheduled plan to hold protest against suspension of the constitution on Monday.

According to former president of the Pakistan Bar Council Qazi Muhammad Anwer, the lawyers will boycott courts on Monday and stage demonstrations against the proclamation of emergency and suspension of the constitution.

He feared that the situation was heading towards a civil war where a direct conflict between the army and the public was possible.

A senior official, while commenting on the lawyers’ plan for Monday, told Dawn that action would be taken against anything that can deteriorate law and order situation. He said violation of section 144 would not be allowed at any cost.

He said the police had received instructions to seize any functional OB (outside broadcast) van of any TV channel.

Markets in the capital presented a deserted look in the early part of the day on Sunday as the people, some of whom were in a state of shock, were unclear as to what restrictions had been placed under the state of emergency.

Most of the labourers were seen approaching their fellows in a bid to clarify whether martial law had been imposed in the country.

“Can we move in the markets in groups,” a pedestrian questioned this scribe.

Most of the people even did not know that fundamental rights had been suspended through the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO).

People of Rawalpindi and Islamabad thronged to stalls to buy newspapers to keep pace with the latest developments on the current situation, as private television channels were taken off the air on Saturday.

Majority of people did not know about the political developments in the aftermath of the declaration of emergency and got the information through newspapers on Sunday.