December 01, 2007	Saturday	Ziqa’ad 20, 1428

LAHORE, Nov 30: Around 300 protesters held a peaceful demonstration against the imposition of emergency at Liberty Chowk on Friday afternoon, first forming a human-chain around the chowk and then coalescing into a large group and marching around the grassy area.

The event, organised by the Student Action Committee (SAC), brought together students from the city’s all leading educational institutions, both private and public, as well as dozens of lawyers and civil society activists.

Three police vans and seven jeeps were present at the scene, as nervous-looking police officials maintained a strong presence.

The first participants arrived at 2pm, and came to sit down on the grass, holding their banners aloft in a silent protest. As their numbers swelled, Model Town SP Imran Ahmed met student leader Ali Jan to ask them to disperse within 10 minutes.

Jan put the police demands to protesters and asked them whether they should comply. He was met a resounding cry of “No”, and the protesters proceeded as they had planned, while a troupe of wedding drummers present at the scene contributed to the atmosphere with a fast-paced rhythm.

Aisha Ameen, an advocate present at the scene, said: “I’m here because I’m outraged at what Musharraf has done. Unless the judiciary is restored, elections should not take place and elections should be boycotted.”

The students chanted “Go Musharraf Go”, “PCO namanzoor...PCO ke tehat adliya namanzoor...elections namanzoor”, “Sahafat ko azaad karo” and carried banners and cards condemning the emergency. They also distributed leaflets with their demands to passers-by.

Later, students took it in turn to make speeches on the mike, including anti-IJT speeches by Punjab University students.

The rally ended just under an hour after it began, with the students coming together to sing the national anthem, before finally dispersing.

Later, Ali Jan told Dawn: “It was very good and quite successful. We caught a lot of attention. And we’re going to continue - we’re going to get more and more people. The way it’s shaping up now, with students giving a call and other people joining it, I think that’s the best way.”