Government plans to sabotage protest: ARD

Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD) on Monday alleged the government of making plan to sabotage the peaceful protest of opposition parties and lawyers in front of Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday by mobilising people from different parts of the Punjab and NWFP.
Addressing a press conference in the cafeteria of the National Assembly, ARD Secretary General, Iqbal Zafar Jhagra alleged that the government has gathered people in Islamabad in a bid to foil the peaceful protest of the lawyers, opposition parties and civil society organisations to be observed in front of Supreme Court at a time when the Supreme Judicial Council would hear the presidential reference against the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. He expressed his concern that there would be grave consequences of such an irresponsible act for which the government would be responsible.
He alleged that secret agencies have managed to bring hundreds of people from different parts of NWFP and Punjab and kept them in Punjab House and other places for bringing them to the protest venue. Like past, he said, all the opposition parties would gather in front of Supreme Court on Tuesday expressing solidarity with the Chief Justice of Pakistan giving him hero's welcome.
He termed the event a "Golden Chance" for the restoration of democracy and independence of judiciary. "We condemn the government crackdown against the opposition leaders and workers across the country," he remarked.
The ARD leader also condemn the issuance of showcase notice to the Aaj TV channel and said that it is in sheer violation of freedom of press. After parliament and judiciary, he said, the government has committed to attack the third pillar of state "media".
He also expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the country saying that besides Parachinar, Bara and Balochistan, the government has miserably failed to control the Lal Masjid issue in Islamabad. Ahsan Iqbal, Central Information Secretary PML (N) alleged that government had directed all the Nazims to bribe the lawyers by offering jobs and plots to support the presidential reference filed against the Chief Justice of Pakistan. But, he said, most of the lawyers turned down the offers and now the government has left with the only option of sabotaging the movement by using secret agencies.