By Muhammad Najeeb, IANS
Islamabad : Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto Wednesday made it clear she did not trust President Pervez Musharraf and demanded the immediate restoration of democracy, even as lawyers’ protests continued for the fourth day after the imposition of an emergency.
In other developments, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif urged Bhutto to join hands against the military dictator to ensure he stepped down as army chief and held general elections in January as was originally scheduled.
And, despite the government diktat against news channels – national and international – after the emergency was imposed Saturday, most of them continued to function even though their viewership reduced to less than five percent after the government ordered cable operators to take them off air.
Because of this, the demand for dish antennas and digital receivers has spiralled. But on Wednesday the government ordered the closure of shops selling this equipment.
Bhutto, who had been in power-sharing talks with Musharraf for several months and was reported to have met the president for 90 minutes here Tuesday evening, urged the opposition and Pakistani citizens to “stand up with courage to protect their rights”.
“Our objective of holding negotiations with Musharraf government was to restore democracy in a peaceful manner through free and fair elections,” Bhutto said at a crowded press conference here Wednesday.
“Since Musharraf has imposed emergency we no longer think we can trust him any more … Instead of finding ourselves in a democratic order we found ourselves back in a dictatorship again,” she maintained.
Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has been refused permission to hold a rally in the twin city of Rawalpindi on Friday but urged the opposition to turn out in large numbers.
On his part, Nawaz Sharif sent out a strong message to Bhutto from Jeddah, where he lives in exile.
“Call off all discussions and abandon all negotiations that were going on…if you want to go along with democratic forces in the country, then you have to abandon your negotiations and talks and contacts with the dictator,” Sharif said.
More than 100 lawyers gathered outside the Supreme Court here at 8 a.m. Wednesday, demonstrating and chanting slogans against military rule and the emergency. Shahzad Malik, a spokesperson for the lawyers, said three more lawyers were picked up.
More than 60 judges of the Supreme Court and the high court, who were sacked after they refused to take oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO) promulgated after the emergency, remained defiant and have vowed to continue protesting.
“We will side with lawyers for restoration of constitution and democracy in the country,” former chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry said in another message from his residence where he is under arrest.
Adding to the chorus of protesters was cricketer turned politician Imran Khan, who was Musharraf’s big supporter after the 1999 military coup.
“The dictator’s days are numbered and he would be going any time,” he said in an interview with ARY channel from his hideout. He went underground on Saturday when police raided his residence in Lahore to arrest him.