Roads blocked ahead of CJ's visit

Many roads in the Pakistani city of Karachi were blocked on Saturday apparently aimed at disrupting plans by the country's suspended chief justice to hold a rally with his supporters.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, who the government suspended on March 9 over undisclosed charges of misconduct, was due to fly to Karachi from the capital, Islamabad, later on Saturday and address lawyers at the city-centre High Court.

The pro-government Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) that runs Karachi Pakistan's biggest city is planning to hold a rival demonstration in the city to protest against Chaudhry and what it calls the political tricks of his supporters.

The government's suspension of Chaudhry has outraged 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.

Reuters