WASHINGTON, Dec 6: US lawmakers called for restoring the chief justice and other judges of the Supreme Court at a pro-democracy rally on Capitol Hill while in a pro-government rally some lawmakers emphasised the need for continuing the US-Pakistan alliance against terror.

Separated by thick walls in two neighbouring buildings of the US Congress, both groups lobbied hard to win over as many American lawmakers as they could and it seems that the pro-democracy rally won the initial battle.

The pro-democracy group is lobbying Congress to restructure US aid to Pakistan, increasing funds for the civil society and reducing military assistance.

The pro-government group opposes any change in the present structure, which brings more money to the military.

Senator Claire McCaskill, a Democrat from Missouri, demanded the restoration of judges and urged the Bush administration to make the US military aid to Pakistan contingent to ‘the rule of law’. “If the judiciary is not restored, Pakistan should face the threat of military sanctions,” she warned.

Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California, accused the Musharraf government of using the US military aid against its opponents rather than terrorists. She criticised Islamabad for the abusive treatment of attorneys and urged the government to release all lawyers including Aitazaz Ahsan and Munir Malik.

Congressman Steven Israel, a New York Democrat, urged the Bush administration to tell the Musharraf government that “America’s friendship is with the Pakistani nation and not with an individual.” He said that the “judges should be bound to the law, not to the desire of one man.”

At the pro-government rally, Congressman Vito Fossella, a New York Republican, stressed the strong partnership between the US and Pakistan in the fight against terror. “Pakistan is a strategically reliable partner and we hope it will have democracy a well,” he said.

Congresswoman Diane Watson, a California Democrat, said President Musharraf’s taking off his military uniform was a “good sign” and hoped that it leads towards democracy.

Jack Rosen, chairman American Jewish Congress, accompanied President Musharraf’s three special envoys — Dr Nasim Ashraf, Mohammad Ali Saif and Kashmala Tariq — as they visited various lawmakers to convince them to support the government.

Mr Rosen, who recently visited Islamabad to convey his group’s support to President Musharrf, said he was sure that the president would fulfil his promise to lift emergency by Dec 16.

While the pro-democracy group succeeded in bringing half a dozen senators and congressmen to its rally, the pro-government group could bring only two. Each group, however, visited at least a dozen lawmakers to explain their positions on the issue of emergency, rule of law and sacking of the judges and the curbs imposed on the media.T. Kumar, advocacy director at the Amnesty International, said that while the US administration supported a free media, it’s not willing to back the demand for restoring the judiciary. “We need a greater struggle to attain this objective,” he said.