Waving roses and dahlias and singing patriotic songs, a large number of students rolled out on the streets of the capital to show their solidarity with deposed judges who refused to take oath under the Provisional Constitution Order issued by President Pervez Musharraf on November 3.
The students, who carried large bouquets for sacked Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chowdhury, were however, prevented by police from visiting the residence of the judge who has emerged as a leading light in the campaign against Musharraf.
The students, who along with civil society activists and journalists have learnt to say it with flowers, marched from the Cricket Ground in Margalla to the Judges Colony on Friday but were stopped halfway and forced to disperse.
Mominah, a student from Headstart School, said, «We want to show our support for the chief justice. Unfortunately, we were stopped mid-way. It seems the police have been given a free hand to crush any kind of opposition.»
Flowers were also offered to ruling PML-Q politicians. «We offered a bouquet to a politician to protest against government policies,» said a student.
«Flower corners» have been set up outside the homes of deposed judges across Pakistan and protesters are registering their protest by sending bouquets.
Salaar Khan, who was thrashed by police in the first student protest last week, told Dawn newspaper, «I am not afraid to come out again. I feel satisfied that I have done something for my country, protesting against what is wrong. We cannot just sit and let one man suppress the people.»
Khan now intends to form a human chain with his friends.
University students too staged a protest at Educational Chowk, and hundreds of them signed a petition «rejecting emergency and the present political leadership, which is incompetent and corrupt».
«We need a change of system, not faces,» demanded a university student.
(Source: The Times of India dated 17.11.2007)