By IRNA
Islamabad : Police on Thursday fired tear gas shells and used batons to disperse hundreds of lawyers who were trying to visit the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
Chaudhry has been under house arrest since November 3 when President Musharraf imposed emergency and sacked him and around 50 other judges who refused to show allegiance to him.
Lawyers staged rallies and boycotted courts across the country to push for the restoration of the deposed Chief Justice and to call for the release of detained lawyers.
Hundreds of lawyers tried to march towards the judges colony in Islamabad where Chaudhry has been detained at his residence.
The police tried to stop the lawyers from heading towards the judges colony but when they tried to move forward the police fired tear gas shells to disperse them.
Lawyers threw stones at the police and chanted slogans against the government and President Musharraf.
Lawyers also staged anti-government rallies in all major cities and towns and did not attend courts.
In the central city of Lahore, hundreds of lawyers held demonstration and boycotted courts.
Leaders of lawyers’ groups vowed to continue protest till the restoration of the deposed Chief Justice and the release of detained leaders.
They urged political leaders to boycott the February 18 polls, saying that elections would not be fair in the presence of President Musharraf. They said that lawyers will not appear in courts of those judges who have taken oath under the constitutional order of President musharraf.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif addressed a gathering of lawyers in the city of Peshawar and pledged to restore the deposed Chief Justice and all sacked judges if his party won the elections.
Sharif accused President Musharraf of sacking judges only to prolong his rule and to crush independent judiciary.