Pakistan's suspended judge sets off on rally

Islamabad, May 5: Pakistan's suspended top judge set off in a noisy convoy from Islamabad for Lahore today to rally support for his fight against President Pervez Musharraf's attempt to sack him.

Police began rounding up opposition activists a day earlier in a bid to undermine the visit by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to Pakistan's most politically influential city.

Chaudhry's address to the legal community in Lahore will be a test of the backing he has won since his suspension on March 9.

''The mood of the lawyers in Lahore will determine the strength of the movement in the country,'' said Hamid Khan, a member of Chaudhry's legal team.

''We want a clear stand against military rule,'' said Khan, a former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association.

Chaudhry's refusal to resign in the face of charges of misconduct and the widespread sympathy for his stand created the most serious challenge to Musharraf's authority since he came to power in a military coup 7-years ago.

Musharraf is due to seek re-election in September or October.

Controversially, he aims to be re-elected by the current national and provincial assemblies before they are dissolved for elections the president says could take place around November.

Analysts speculate Musharraf's main motive for seeking the independent-minded Chaudhry's removal is to have a more pliable chief justice in place in case of constitutional challenges to his plans.

Flag-waving activists from a range of opposition parties chanted ''Go, Musharraf, Go'' and jostled with television cameramen for positions as Chaudhry left his home in the capital for his journey down the historic Grand Truck Road and through the towns and villages of Punjab, Pakistan's richest province.

Chaudhry's four-wheel drive car, strewn with rose petals, led a raucous convoy of more than 200 vehicles carrying lawyers and activists. Normally a five-hour trip, his journey was expected to be spun out by stops to greet well-wishers along the way.

Media reports said thousands would greet him in Lahore, whose lawyers have led a movement to defend the judiciary, and the number of the city's high court judges that turn up for his address will be a measure of his support.

''All eyes are on their Punjab lordships. What will it be, the call of conscious or the triumph of expediency?'' columnist Ayaz Amir wrote in Friday's edition of the Dawn newspaper.

Chaudhry has already travelled to Sindh province in the south and North West Frontier Province, where he was well received by a large number of judges.

Punjab is more important, however, as its most senior judge sits on the Supreme Judicial Council, a five-member panel holding an inquiry into the misconduct charges against the chief justice.

Chaudhry has objected to his presence, saying he is biased, and wants his case to be switched to the Supreme Court for an open hearing.

Reuters>