Police bars British envoy seeing Aitzaz Ahsan
Police stopped British High Commissioner Robert Brinkley from meeting on Thursday a detained lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, who spearheaded opposition to President Pervez Musharraf, the British High Commission said.
Aitzaz Ahsan, a former member of the National Assembly for the party of martyred opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, was detained after President Musharraf imposed emergency rule on Nov. 3.
He is being held under house arrest at his home in Lahore.
The British envoy went to Ahsan’s home but police posted there did not allow him in to see the lawyer. Police did not give a reason, a British High Commission spokesman said.
“We just wanted to underline the fact that we’re still calling for the release of all those detained under the state of emergency,” the spokesman said.
Brinkley was allowed to meet Ahsan’s wife and some other family members, the spokesman said.
President Musharraf cited rising militancy and a meddling judiciary when he invoked emergency powers and purged judges seen as hostile to his bid to secure another term as president.
Last month, police stopped US ambassador Anne Patterson from meeting Ahsan. He was briefly released last month for a Muslim holiday (Eid) but was soon detained again.
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