PAKISTAN:Pakistani police detained opposition activists yesterday to stop them protesting in front of the Supreme Court as it resumed hearing challenges to president Pervez Musharraf's plans for re-election.
Gen Musharraf, who is also chief of the army, plans to seek another term in office from an electoral college including parliament and provincial assemblies on October 6th, despite opposition from an alliance of political parties demanding an end to military rule.
Nuclear-armed Pakistan faces months of tension as US ally Gen Musharraf tries to cement his rule over a country seen as vital to international efforts to stabilise Afghanistan, and which is often at odds with neighbour India, also a nuclear power.
A former Supreme Court judge who resigned in 2000 after refusing to swear allegiance to Gen Musharraf said yesterday he would run in the presidential election at the request of anti-government lawyers.
"It is our national duty to put up strong opposition to a dictator," Wajihuddin Ahmed told Reuters.
Lawyers have been at the forefront of opposition to Gen Musharraf since he tried unsuccessfully to sack the chief justice in March.
But with Gen Musharraf's ruling coalition holding a majority in the outgoing National Assembly, Mr Ahmed is not expected to win.
Pakistani shares ended at a near seven-week high as investors, many of whom back Gen Musharraf, saw Mr Ahmed's participation adding credibility to a vote that many opposition politicians are likely to boycott, dealers said.
An opposition alliance led by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's party has threatened to resign from assemblies should Gen Musharraf's nomination be accepted.
However, the alliance said its upper house senators would vote for Mr Ahmed. A general election is due by mid-January and Gen Musharraf's coalition is expected to suffer heavy losses.
The opposition's resignation threat will lack real bite unless the Pakistan People's Party, the largest party, led by another former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, joins in.
Ms Bhutto has been negotiating a powersharing pact with Gen Musharraf but has been insisting he quit the army before running for re-election.
Ms Bhutto, who plans to return home from self-exile on October 18th, has said her members might also give up their seats if Gen Musharraf did not take steps to restore democracy.