Pakistani Islamist urges protests against Musharraf

Lahore: Pakistan's leading opposition figure on Sunday called for a countrywide protest against President Pervez Musharraf, urging people to overthrow the military leader.

"People will now come on the street and will throw out the military dictator," said Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the leader of an alliance of Islamist parties and a Musharraf critic.

Ahmed made the call in front of 20,000 people in Lahore, a day after Musharraf declared emergency rule in the country.

Ahmed, whose own Jamaat-i-Islami party has historic ties with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, said the campaign would be launched along with scholars and lawyers.

Pakistani lawyers also announced a countrywide strike on Monday as the government imposed a TV ban and arrested several opposition leaders and activists.

"I condemn the ban on television channels and arrest of political workers. I condemn the emergency and proclamation of provisional constitutional order," Ahmed said.