Pakistani police choke off rally point

RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Pakistani police effectively shut down a planned rally Friday in Rawalpindi by choking off access to the city and detaining leader Benazir Bhutto in her home.

Thousands of police blanketed the rally site, blocking roads into the city and turning back bus loads of demonstrators, The New York Times reported. In addition, Bhutto, a former prime minister, was prevented from leaving her home in Islamabad to travel to Rawalpindi to lead the rally.

Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for U.S. President George Bush, called for Bhutto's release, as well as the release of her supporters, other party members and all protesters.

"It is crucial for Pakistan's future that moderate political forces work together to bring Pakistan back on the path to democracy," Johndroe said in a statement.

In Rawalpindi, double lines of police and police vans prevented most of the demonstrators from entering the city to protest against the emergency rule declared last Saturday by President Pervez Musharraf. Thousands of protesters have been arrested.

Tariq Azim Khan, a Pakistani government spokesman, said a restraining order preventing Bhutto from leaving her house would probably be lifted later Friday.