Pakistan:Police in Pakistan have detained hundreds of activists on the eve of an anti-government rally arranged to welcome the country's suspended top judge to Karachi, according to opposition leaders.
The authorities confirmed that some arrests had been made ahead of suspended chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry's visit to the volatile city today, but they did not say how many.
The government's suspension of Judge Chaudhry on March 9th angered the judiciary and the opposition and has blown up into the most serious challenge to President Pervez Musharraf's authority since he seized power in 1999.
Lawyers for Judge Chaudhry said that the judge would go ahead with his visit to Karachi despite worries about clashes with government supporters, who are planning to hold their own rally.
Opposition leaders said that hundreds of activists had been detained overnight and in pre-dawn raids in Karachi.
The crisis has erupted in the run-up to a general election and an anticipated attempt by President Musharraf, an important US ally, to secure another term.
- (Reuters)