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40 ‘peaceful’ protesters held for denouncing emergency

* More than 100 people stage protest at Jinnah Avenue

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The police arrested 40 students who staged a peaceful protest demonstration against the proclaimed emergency across the country on Monday.

The students had gathered at the Jinnah Avenue in the afternoon where members of civil society also joined them.

Participating civilians expressed grave concern over the arrest of the protestors as most of them were very young. They said that it was regrettable the way the police dragged them to the buses and locked them up in the Margalla Police Station.

The activists said there was no threat to anyone by the children but the law enforcers treated them as if they were wanted for serious crimes. The police also attempted to arrest female students who resisted and were subsequently allowed to flee. Over 100 protestors holding black flags, wearing black ribbons and sealing their lips with black tape marched peacefully along the avenue. They also held placards inscribed with, ‘Go Musharaf go,’ ‘Pakistan is bleeding,’ ‘justice for all,’ ‘live and let live’ and ‘army to barracks.’

They said that it was an attack on the judiciary when Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was deposed. They said that the deposed CJP should be restored as he had become a symbol of justice.

The activists also condemned the imposed section 144 to curb the expression of freedom which was a fundamental right of the citizens. The protestors also said that the ban to curb media was not acceptable as it was the only source of information for the public about their rights and obligations.

They said that there were no extremists among the protestors, rather all of them were moderate but they did not want an extension of the current regime.

Hundreds of policemen of Islamabad and the Punjab police were deputed at the occasion who arrested the organisers in an operation led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Nasir Aftab. Jinnah Avenue remained closed as the police launched its operation to arrest the protestors.

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