Hundreds rally in Islamabad - Eyewitness account

The Protest Rally in Islamabad on Friday turned out to be a huge success, with around 300 people showing up to express their outrage at the continued subversion of the judiciary and media, and to stress on the boycott of the upcoming elections. The protest, co-ordinated with similar rallies around the country and abroad, consisted of students, journalists, lawyers, civil rights activists and ordinary citizens of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, who showed up despite the downpour in the twin cities in the afternoon. The crowd first gathered outside the Press Club at 3 PM, holding placards in support of the judiciary, prominent figures in the movement, such as Muneer A Malik, as well as the media. The protestors chanted slogans against the unconstitutional acts of the government and hailed Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and his supporters as the heroes of the day. Several prominent figures from among the student, journalist and legal community stepped forward to address the gathering and outline their demands.
After 4 PM, the protest moved in the form of a car rally to the Marriot Hotel, near the Judicial residence. There, the numbers of protestors swelled as lawyers and members of civil society joined them in their march towards the Judge's residence. In the highly-charged atmosphere, the protestors pledged to prevent the eviction of the judges from their residences, as threatened by the government. Several prominent figures, such as Asma Jahangir and Roedad Khan joined the protestors, as they marched towards the Judicial residences.
Also prominent among the protestors were relatives of the missing people illegally abducted by intelligence agencies throughout the country. Carrying photos of their loved ones, the people joined the procession, calling for the reinstatement of the judges who had tried to get their relatives released from illegal custody.
The procession stopped at the police barricades, where the sloganeering continued even as hundreds of police personnel surrounded the protestors and prevented them from going further. Several more speeches were made as the protestors pledged to continue their struggle and boycott the elections until the judiciary, constitution and media was restored. The protestors then dispersed with plans to stage another major rally in the coming few days.

The movement continues..

In Complete Unity