This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/6728207.stm

The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 5 Version 6
Pakistan tension ahead of rallies Opponents march against Musharraf
(about 2 hours later)
Security forces in Pakistan are on alert ahead of expected anti-government protests. Opponents of President Musharraf are holding fresh protests against his government in cities across Pakistan.
Scores of activists have been held in Punjab province ahead of protests over the suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, the opposition says. Thousands of lawyers and opposition supporters marched through the centre of Lahore. Journalists also held a demonstration in Islamabad.
Rallies are also expected in the capital, Islamabad. Analysts say the protest campaign is the most serious challenge to President Musharraf since he seized power.
Analysts say the recent campaign of protests represents the most serious challenge to President Pervez Musharraf since he seized power in 1999. The latest demonstrations came as the government said it was suspending sweeping new curbs on the media.
The latest protests came as the government said it was suspending sweeping new curbs on the media. No action will be taken against broadcasters under the ordinance until the committee submits its report Information Minister Ali Durrani
The president ordered the restrictions on Monday after the media broadcast criticism of his suspension of the chief justice. The president ordered the restrictions on Monday amid continuing criticism by the media of his suspension of Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and its coverage of the anti-government rallies which followed.
The new rules had led to protests by hundreds of journalists and opposition activists in the capital. Meanwhile, government lawyers have rejected Mr Chaudhry's assertion that he was "illegally detained" by the heads of the country's secret intelligence agencies on the day he was ousted in March.
The lawyers submitted responses to the chief justice in the Supreme Court on behalf of Gen Musharraf's chief of staff and two intelligence agency heads.
According to Mr Chaudhry, who denies abusing his powers, intelligence chiefs spent five hours trying to force him to resign.
'Crackdown''Crackdown'
The interior ministry has confirmed a number of opposition activists had been detained. Opposition parties say hundreds of their activists were detained in Punjab province in the run-up to Thursday's protests over the judge's suspension.
"Some arrests have been made in Punjab where the government feels they were necessary to maintain law and order," the ministry's spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema told reporters.
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, of the Pakistan People's Party, which is planning Thursday's rallies, said it was a "massive crackdown".
Opposition to Gen Musharraf is focusing around Mr ChaudhryOpposition to Gen Musharraf is focusing around Mr Chaudhry
He said: "The dictatorship is now showing its real face but we'll not back down, we will fight." The authorities confirm making arrests but put the number of detainees lower.
Gen Musharraf said he suspended Mr Chaudhry because the chief justice was guilty of misuse of office. On Thursday, thousands of opposition members and lawyers marched through the centre of Lahore.
Judge Chaudhry's supporters said Gen Musharraf was trying to muzzle the independence of the judiciary in an election year. Journalists plan to hold more rallies across the country later on Thursday.
BBC correspondents say rallies were also held in small towns elsewhere in Punjab and Sindh Provinces. A demonstration organised by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) also took place in Karachi.
On Wednesday a protest by reporters in Islamabad held up the work of Pakistan's parliament for the first time in the country's history.
The new media laws have incensed Gen Musharraf's opponents, who have been staging demonstrations against his rule since he suspended Mr Chaudhry.
Judge Chaudhry's supporters say Gen Musharraf was trying to muzzle the independence of the judiciary in an election year.
Most of Pakistan's legal community came out in open support of the judge. They were soon joined by Pakistan's religious and secular opposition parties.Most of Pakistan's legal community came out in open support of the judge. They were soon joined by Pakistan's religious and secular opposition parties.
Many of their protests have resulted in bloodshed. The controversial new media controls aimed to tighten the rules on electronic broadcasting. Many of their protests have resulted in bloodshed.
The ordinance, which the government says is now being reviewed, would allow the government to seal the offices of broadcasters breaking the regulations. Media rules
Court action An official statement said that Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had ordered a review of the new restrictions following a meeting of representatives of Pakistan's newspapers and broadcasters.
Meanwhile, Pakistani government lawyers have submitted three separate replies to Mr Chaudhry's affidavit in the Supreme Court that he was "illegally detained" by the country's secret police. The lawyers submitted their counter affidavits on behalf of Gen Musharraf's chief of staff and the heads of the country's intelligence agencies. The controversial new controls gave the Pakistan Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) new powers to suspend broadcasters' licenses, seal their premises and confiscate equipment.
According to Mr Chaudhry's affidavit, a copy of which the BBC has seen, the heads of three Pakistani intelligence services spent five hours putting pressure on him to resign. A committee of three senior media members and three government officials will submit its report to the prime minister within the shortest possible time, the statement said
The government has also blocked transmission of three private television stations.