Imran Khan goes on hunger strike in Pak jail
Islamabad,
Nov
19:
Detained
Pakistani
cricketer-turned-politician
Imran
Khan
went
on
hunger
strike
to
protest
against
President
Pervez
Musharraf's
dismissal
of
judges
after
he
imposed
emergency
rule,
a
spokesman
said.
Khan
planned
to
continue
fasting
until
all
judges
sacked
after
the
emergency
was
imposed
on
November
3
were
reinstated,
said
his
spokesman,
Hafeezullah
Khan
Niazi.
''I met him in jail today and he said he is going on hunger strike because there is no other way to protest,'' Niazi said.
''He looked very committed and vowed that he'll go on with the hunger strike until his demand is met.'' Khan, who heads his own small party and is a vocal critic of Musharraf, was arrested last week after emerged from hiding to lead a student protest against emergency rule.
In imposing the emergency, army chief Musharraf suspended the constitution, purged the Supreme Court of judges deemed hostile to him, rounded up thousands of opponents and curbed the media.
He cited meddling judges hampering efforts in the war on terrorism but analysts say his main aim was to purge the Supreme Court of judges he feared were about to annul his re-election as president.
Today, the Supreme Court, now packed with government-friendly judges, dismissed the main challenges to his October 6 re-election by legislators.
Reuters
>