ISLAMABAD, Dec 4: Hundreds of demonstrators, majority of them students of universities and colleges and civil society, converged on the Rawalpindi Press Club’s camp office at Melody on Tuesday after breaking through police cordons to protest the emergency rule, sacking of superior court judges and media curbs.

All the efforts of the police failed to stop the demonstrators from proceeding towards the press club from Aabpara chowk.

The protesting students joined by lawyers, representatives of civil society, workers and activists of political parties and journalists gave a tough time to the police in riot gear during the rally called by the Students Action Committee (SAC) to press for restoration of the pre-November 3 judiciary, lifting of media curbs, and a permanent end to the military’s role in politics. The rally was the biggest show of strength by pro- democracy forces in the twin cities since the imposition of the emergency.

About 300 to 400 students of International Islamic University, Quaid-i-Azam University, Punjab Law College, Punjab Commerce College, National University of Modern Languages, Bahria University and Federal Urdu University gathered at Aabpara Chowk at around 3pm.

They were holding banners and placards inscribed with anti-government and anti-Musharraf slogans and were calling for reinstatement of the deposed judges.

Later, the number of participants rose to about 1000, as more students along with lawyers, representatives of civil society, workers and activists of political parties and journalists joined them.

The police had made three security rings to intercept the protesters near the Aabpara market, when they started marching towards the RIPC camp office at around 3:40pm.

Senior police officers disallowed the protesters to move ahead and asked them to proceed in groups of three to four. The protesters agreed to go ahead in groups but again gathered near Aabpara Community Centre which forced the police to rush towards them.

The police again made lines to disperse the protesters but the protesters reacted and pushed the police back. On this, the police resorted to baton charge on the protesters, injuring some of them, including Ms Ghazala, wife of lawyer Athar Minallah.

As a result, the protesters moved back and sat on the road and footpaths. After a while, they again tried to reach the camp office and succeeded to move ahead despite some resistance by the law enforcers.

The police arrested political activist Jehangir Akhtar on the charge of violating section 144 and the amplifier act.