ISLAMABAD, Nov 14: A group of lawyers, students, political activists, civil society and rights activists on Wednesday held a protest demonstration at Aabpara Chowk against emergency, detention of superior court judges and media curbs.

They condemned country wide crack down on lawyers, political workers and torture and intimidation of lawyers, left wing political leaders and activists and vowed to continue their protest against Musharraf regime.

The demonstration was arranged by Jamhoori Forum, a component of the Awami Jamhoori Ittehad.

They were demanding immediate lifting of emergency, restoration of the deposed judges, including the Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, an end to military rule and holding of free and fair elections.

They marched through the Aabpara market holding banners and placards and chanting slogans against the military regime.

The Forum leaders speaking on the occasion said that the arrest of students of elite schools proved that the resistance movement was gaining momentum.

They said the upper middle class, which remained Gen Musharraf’s major source of support had now deserted him and if the situation continued the General would be left all alone.

They demanded of the army to go back to barracks and restore civilian rule by holding free, fair and transparent election under a neutral caretakers and an independent election commission.

They said credible elections were not possible under emergency rule and demanded level-playing field for all the political parties.

Speaking on the occasion, Nazish Zahoor of the Awami Jamhoori Ittehad said that the hundreds of protesters were ready to go to jail. He said that the resistance movement was now gaining momentum and would continue to grow against the use of state repression. The protest marked yet another indicator of the growing involvement of students and young people in the anti-government movement.

Speaking on the occasion, Jamil Abbasi said that the movement for democratisation was not centred around Gen Musharraf rather the military’s intervention in politics.

He said that there could be no compromise on this matter because until and unless the military’s domination of state affairs was ended, there could be no meaningful democracy and the interests of working people could not be safeguarded.

He said that it was the military control over decision-making and resources that had destroyed the political process. Therefore it was imperative for this one-point agenda of the transformation of the state to eliminate the political power of the administrative institutions to be espoused by all pro-democracy forces.

Later they joined the journalists’ protest at Zero Point in front of the Dawn offices.