Police officers arrest female protester taking part in anti-government march in Karachi, 12 Mar 2009
Pakistani police blocked anti-government marchers for a second straight day Friday, as demonstrators vowed to defy a government ban on rallies.
Pakistani lawyers and opposition activists are staging a so-called "long march", which runs from several cities to the capital of Islamabad.
Police blocked one convoy Friday that included rally organizer, Ali Ahmed Kurd, president of the Supreme Court bar association, as it was trying to enter Sindh province. On Thursday, authorites arrested dozens of protesters trying to join the march in Karachi.
The protesters are demanding that President Asif Ali Zardari reinstate the former Supreme Court chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, ousted by former President Pervez Musharraf.
Members of the opposition party are also protesting a court ruling last month barring party leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Shahbaz, from holding public office.
The political showdown threatens the stability of the year-old civilian government of President Zardari.
A U.S. State Department spokesman says U.S. officials have been in touch with Pakistani leaders about resolving the crisis legally and democratically.
Spokesman Robert Wood says the U.S. will continue to engage parties in all sides to work on a peaceful solution.
On Thursday, police arrested dozens of activists in Karachi and blocked a convoy of demonstrators trying to leave the city. Clashes were reported between police and protesters in Quetta and Karachi.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
