Legal dispute fills Pakistan's jails

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 23 (UPI) -- The dispute over the fate of Pakistani Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry has left hundreds of people in jail awaiting bail hearings.

The Daily Times reported that no inmates at the central jail in Karachi have been taken to court in the past 10 days.

"When we took prisoners to the courts, we were threatened that our vehicles would be burnt," sources at the jail told the newspaper.

Lawyers and judges have rallied in support of Chaudhry since President Pervez Musharraf suspended him. In an interview this week, Chaudhry told The Dawn that he is innocent of any wrongdoing and called for an open trial before the Supreme Judicial Council.

Prisoners and their families have been waiting for protests to end.

"I have been married for two months and my husband is behind bars for possessing illegal arms," one woman said. "The hearing was scheduled for today, but I have been waiting for four hours. I have little hope."

Lawyers said that they feel sympathy for the inmates. But they feel that they must protest to keep the judiciary independent.