ISLAMABAD, May 1: The Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal has announced that it will hold a demonstration outside the Supreme Court building to express solidarity with Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry who will appear before the Supreme Judicial Council on Wednesday.

Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, MMA deputy secretary-general Liaquat Baloch said activists of the alliance would brave the scorching heat as well as administrative and security hurdles to reach the SC building and would remain there till the CJP came out of the court.

He claimed that hundreds of MMA activists had been arrested in the capital, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Chakwal, Attock, Jhelum, Sahiwal and other areas in Punjab.

He accused the government of using resources and government employees for the success of its own demonstrations, but harassing workers of opposition parties who planned to hold peaceful demonstrations.

Mr Baloch said the MMA had launched a peaceful struggle against the military dictatorship and for establishing supremacy of the Constitution and independence of judiciary.

He termed the government’s action against the CJP unconstitutional, formation of the SJC controversial and hearing of the case illegal and unconstitutional.

The MMA leader urged Gen Pervez Musharraf to step down both as president and army chief to end the judicial crisis and facilitate holding of free and fair elections under an independent election commission by an interim government.