ISLAMABAD, May 2: A number of workers of opposition parties were injured when police used batons to stop them from proceeding to the Supreme Court building when Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry came to appear before the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Wednesday.

The clash took place outside the Parliament Lodges when processions of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) and Pakistan Muslim League (N) were barred from taking a water tanker to the SC building and joining the lawyers demonstrating against the filing of reference against the Chief Justice.

Personnel of Punjab Police and Islamabad Police baton-charged the workers. The demonstrators pelted the police party with stones. However, the situation calmed down when the police party was pulled back from outside the Parliament Lodges.

Member of the NWFP provincial assembly Asad Ullah suffered injuries in the head during the clash.

The local administration suceeded in averting a clash between pro- and anti-government activists.

Maulvi Iqbal Haider was leading a rally of pro-government lawyers who also tried to proceed to the Supreme Court. They were stopped by police at the D. Chowk where they sat for a few hours and observed a token hunger strike.

Almost all the main opposition parties, including the People’s Party Parliamentarians, Pakistan Muslim League(N), Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal and Awami National Party, took part in the demonstration. The Chief Justice who reached the court at around 9.30 am, left after the hearing at around 2 pm.

The Constitution Avenue was closed to traffic from 8 am with barricades at several points. All roads leading to the avenue were blocked with barbed wire. However, an alternative route from the Marriott Hotel was opened for members of parliament.