Pakistani lawyers demand democracy

Lawyers across Pakistan have been on strike to demand a return to democratic rule following the military coup in 1999.

The stoppage meant most courts were unable to function.

The lawyers' professional body, the Pakistan Bar Council, called the strike to press for the restoration of the constitution -- which was suspended after the military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, took power.

The lawyers are also demanding the withdrawal of the armed forces from the political arena and the formation of a caretaker government. They urged the military government to hold fresh elections within ninety days. The BBC Islamabad correspondent says the lawyers' strike is the first major sign of protest against the military government from any section of Pakistani society.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service