LONDON, May 26: A big crowd of lawyers of Pakistani origin and local leaders of various Pakistani opposition political parties held a demonstration here at Marble Arch, Central London’s busiest thoroughfare protesting against the military-led government of President Musharraf and what they called its anti-people and undemocratic policies.

As many as 12 leading lights of legal fraternity and political leaders spoke on the occasion roundly denouncing President Musharraf’s action against the Chief Justice and what they said was his complicity in May 12 Karachi carnage for which they held Altaf Hussain and his MQM squarely responsible.

Most of the Pakistani political parties represented here including the PPP, the PML-N and Tehrik-i-Insaf participated in the protest demonstration.

The speakers demanded immediate restoration of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and withdrawal of the presidential reference against him.

Imran Khan of Therik-i-Insaf was the main speaker at the four hour-long demonstration.

While addressing the gathering from Pakistan over telephone the former cricketer said he would soon come to the UK mainly to institute a case in the court of law against Altaf Hussain as he thought it was the MQM leader who had on the advise of Musharraf unleashed his gun-toting goons on the unarmed citizens of Karachi on May 12 to make it impossible for the Chief Justice to go to Sindh bar association which had invited him to address them on that day.

He said that General Musharraf and MQM chief Altaf had been panicked by the May 5 show of support by the people of Pakistan for the independence of the judiciary and for that reason they had hatched a plot to terrorise the people to dissuade them from supporting the Chief Justice.