Police rearrest Pakistani opposition lawyer after releasing him for Islamic holiday

Pakistani police rearrested a prominent opposition lawyer Friday, despite promises he would be allowed to remain free for the three-day Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, his son said.

Aitzaz Ahsan was picked up before dawn as he traveled on the road from the eastern city of Lahore to the capital, Islamabad, his son Ali Aitzaz said.

"He has been put under house arrest again," he said from the family home in Lahore.

Aitzaz Ahsan was at the forefront of protests demanding President Pervez Musharraf reinstate the Supreme Court's top judge, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, and other independent-minded justices that he sacked under a state of emergency he imposed on Nov. 3.

The lawyer, who was put under house arrest since the state of emergency was imposed, was freed early Thursday for three days to celebrate the holy day. He spent Thursday visiting judges and meeting with supporters and journalists in Lahore before heading to Islamabad early Friday to offer holiday prayers with Chaudhry, who is also under house arrest, his family said.

Police stopped his sports utility vehicle on the road as he headed to the capital, Ali Aitzaz said. Police drove him to a police station, before returning him to his home in Lahore, he said.

Meanwhile, nearly 100 police officers in riot gear prevented about two dozen lawyers and activists from meeting with Chaudhry to escort him to a local mosque for prayers. The police stood behind barricades of metal, concrete blocks and razor wire as the lawyers chanted, "Go, Musharraf, go."

"This is shameful," said Athar Minallah, a senior Supreme Court lawyer and a protest organizer. Chaudhry did not emerge from his house during the protest.

The crackdown came ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for next month.

On Thursday, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, a top opposition leader, accused Pakistan's military intelligence of pressuring candidates from her party to drop out of the elections and urged officials to crack down on such harassment.

In comments broadcast by state-run Pakistan Television, Musharraf promised the vote would be free and added the government has no plans to use spy agencies to manipulate its outcome.

Under pressure from the international community and domestic opposition, Musharraf also said he would try to work with anyone who wins a majority in Parliament.

He has branded the vote-rigging allegations an attempt by Bhutto and other opposition leaders to create an excuse in case they fare poorly at the ballot box.