Pak Emergency may end by December

New Delhi: In Pakistan, the opposition continues to mount pressure on Musharraf.

Benazir Bhutto announced on Saturday that she would go ahead with her long march to press for the revocation of emergency. Imran khan, though still in hiding, has managed to speak through his ex-wife Jemima, in London. But though General Musharraf's crack-down is continuing and is now targeting foreign media, his rivals have embraced the Press.

Benazir Bhutto made an appearance at Aaj TV's office in Islamabad amid a large crowd of supporters

"I have come here to show solidarity with my brothers. Freedom of Press is very essential," she announced, while a crowd chanted "Mohtarma Benazir"

Benazir next made her way to deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary's home but ran smack into an effective road-block but came up against a make shift but rather effective roadblock - a huge crowd shouting "Go Musharraf Go!".

"I demand that all the judges of the Supreme Court be reinstated," she said to the crowd. "We will put the Pakistani flag back on the house of the Chief Justice."

While Benazir indicated that a civilian president was acceptable to her, the other glamorous opposition leader, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan made clear his agenda.

"My whole thing is that the students must rise up today. And I am planning that there would be a big students' demonstration, unprecedented since 1968, and once that happens, I don't mind going to jail," Imran announced.

Meanwhile, the Regime also made its responses.

The Attorney General said that the Emergency would be removed latest by December, amid arm-twisting by the military.

The cancer hospital that Imran Khan had built was raided, Geo TV - which had interviewed him - was threatened, more lawyers were arrested and after Benazir's attempt, the Chief Justice was quickly shifted to faraway Quetta.

Meanwhile General Musharraf met top lieutenants to approve the setting up of military courts to try civilians for terror-related activities and perhaps to figure a way out of the current turmoil.

The next few days promise to be even more intense: journalists will go on a hunger strike for the next three days, PPP has called for a Sindh bandh on Sunday and the defiant Benazir is all set to lead a rally from Lahore to Islamabad on Tuesday.