700 Bhutto Supporters Arrested

More than 700 supporters of opposition leader Benazar Bhutto were arrested overnight, her party claims, in anticipation of a mass rally planned for tomorrow in Rawalpindi to protest emergency rule in Pakistan. In Karachi, five people arrested earlier were charged with treason for making speeches critical of the government; if convicted they would face a death sentence.

Until yesterday anti-government protests have been led by lawyers, enraged by the suspension of the constitution and the house arrest of the country's chief justice. But Bhutto's vow to hold a rally tomorrow and a mass  "long march" next week has emboldened her supporters: 400 of them faced down tear gas at a protest outside the parliament buildings yesterday. (More Pakistan stories.)