HYDERABAD, March 16: To condemn police brutalities against political leaders and lawyers in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad and attack on offices of a private TV channel, black day will be observed in Sindh on Saturday.

This was announced by President of the Awami Tehrik, Rasool Bux Palijo, at a hurriedly called press conference at the local press club on Friday.

He said that the central committee of his party held an emergent session to discuss police brutality in Lahore and Islamabad.

He said political leaders, including Qazi Hussain Ahmed, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Hyderi, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, Imran Khan, Qasim Zia, former president Rafiq Tarar, Fareed Piracha, Haneef Abbasi and Syed Mohammad Shah Advocate were humiliated and arrested by the police.

He said that use of force in which advocates and political activists were baton charged was in fact a black chapter in the history of the country.

He demanded resignation of President Gen Pervez Musharraf and his team.

He paid tributes to Multan's civil judge for tendering his resignation in protest over President Musharraf’s decision to suspend Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

He advised allies of the government to tender their resignations and also appealed to the people to participate in Saturday's protest in the province.

He said that attack on a private TV channel proved that establishment had pushed the country to the brink of disaster. He also criticised the forces which had failed to take a clear stand on the issue and were supporting the struggle of advocates but terming it a constitutional issue.

He said that it was not the constitutional alone but involved the very survival of the country.

Mr Palijo said that without an independent judiciary and media, democracy was meaningless. He said that the country was passing through a critical juncture.

A group of AT activists, led by Mr Palijo, also observed a token hunger strike outside the local press club and staged a protest demonstration.