Bhutto joins lawyers to gain support

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto may be seeking the legal community's support in her campaign to end the country's emergency rule.

Bhutto, now free to move about after a day of detention in her home, tried Saturday to call on ousted Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry in his home in Islamabad, but was blocked by security forces.

The Washington Post reported Sunday the effort may have been designed to win over lawyers who have been spearheading the campaign against President Pervez Musharraf and his emergency declaration a week ago.

Bhutto used the occasion near the Chaudhry home to issue a call for democracy and judicial freedom, The Post reported. The well publicized incident appeared to be an acknowledgment that Chaudhry, the most prominent victim of emergency rule, can be a major force in unifying the opposition against Musharraf.

Bhutto, whose effort to lead a rally Friday was thwarted by security forces, plans to lead a 250-mile long procession from Lahore to Islamabad Tuesday, but the government has warned it will again enforce its ban on such events.

CNN quoted Pakistani Attorney General Malik Mohammed Qayyum as saying the emergency rule would end in a month, but the official did not say when that would be formally announced. The report also said CNN and the BBC were back on the air Saturday.