[JURIST] Pakistani Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry [JURIST news archive] and the Supreme Court of Pakistan [official website] on Monday ordered three Islamabad law enforcement officials to be suspended over Saturday's crackdown on lawyers and journalists [JURIST report] protesting the reelection bid of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf [BBC profile] outside the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) [official website]. Interior Secretary Kamal Shah quickly responded to Chaudhry's order to immediately suspend [UK Times report] Islamabad's city and district police chiefs and the deputy head of the city administration after medics reported that hospitals treated 83 people from Saturday's protest. The ECP, which formally accepted Musharraf's nomination as a presidential candidate Sunday after the Supreme Court ruled [JURIST report] that Musharraf's re-election bid could proceed, recently implemented rule changes [press release] allowing Musharraf to remain as army chief while he campaigns for a third-term.

Opposition parties have threatened to have their lawmakers resign from Parliament [official website] on Tuesday in protest of Musharraf's candidacy, while leaders in the North West Frontier Province [official website] said they would dissolve the provincial assembly [NWFP backgrounder]. Musharraf supporters responded by submitting a no-confidence motion against the province's top elected official to stall the dissolution until after the October 6 presidential election because a no-confidence motion must be voted on before dissolution can occur. AP has more.

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