Pakistani opposition protests sacking of judge

By Zeeshan Haider

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Thousands of Pakistani opposition supporters rallied in towns and cites throughout the country on Monday to protest against President Pervez Musharraf's move to sack the country's top judge.

The suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on March 9 angered lawyers and the opposition, who see it as an attack on the independence of the judiciary, but Monday's protests did not draw huge crowds and there were no reports of serious trouble.

The uproar has blown up into Musharraf's most serious domestic political crisis since he seized power in 1999, and comes in the run-up to an expected attempt to seek another term.

But analysts say Musharraf, who is also army chief, does not appear to face any immediate threat to his rule as he has the support of the military.

Monday's protests were called by two exiled former prime ministers, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, who met in London last week and agreed on the rallies.

Authorities picked up hundreds of their supporters on Sunday in a bid to thwart the rallies, opposition leader said.

Nevertheless, protests went ahead in all big cities.

About 2,500 opposition activists and lawyers marched in the southwestern city of Quetta shouting "Go Musharraf go", witnesses said.