the chief justice leave the airport at any cost. Sindh chief secretary Shakil Durrani learnt of these plans and called them a "contempt of the High Court's orders". On 10 May 2007, Pakistan International Human Rights Organisation filed a petition with the Sindh High Court pointing out reports in the press about Sindh home secretary Ghulam M. Muhtaram Naqvi's letter to the chief justice that requested him to postpone his visit because of intelligence reports suggesting threat of a terrorist attack. The court directed the federal and provincial governments to provide fool-proof security to the chief justice and also directed authorities not to pressurise him into changing his route while also keeping him informed of any security risks. Unrest before Chaudhry's visit At on 10 May 2007, the residence of the Supreme Court Bar Association president Munir A. Malik came under attack by armed men. Malik, a member of the panel of lawyers defending Chaudhry, narrowly escaped the attack. On 11 May 2007, Karachi Bar Association vice president Ziauddin Sardar was reported missing by his family. Following these incidents, uncertainty and fear gripped the city as the "threat of a showdown loomed large". Karachi Police informed it had arrested 150 people under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance on apprehensions they could "create problems" on the judge's arrival. However, opposition parties disputed the number of arrests – MMA put the figure at 500, PPP at 400 and PML-N at 150. The day of the riots Fearing a showdown between rival political parties, the transporters in the city decided to keep their buses and vans off the road. In a late-night announcement, the Sindh government announced the closure of all educational institutions as governor Dr Ishrat-ul-Ibad Khan declared a public holiday for government and private schools, colleges and universities on 12 May 2007. Hospitals declared emergency and ordered their doctors and staff to remain on duty, while Naib Nazima Nasreen Jalil directed all city departments including hospitals and fire-brigade to follow "standard operating procedure" to deal with any emergency situation that arises. City-wide blockades set up Reports started emerging from around Karachi of blockades being set up on the way toward the Jinnah International Airport in a bid to stop the chief justice from visiting Muhammad Ali Jinnah's mausoleum. Parts of Shahrah-e-Quaideen were blocked whereas the main arterial road Shahrah-e-Faisal, which was to be used by procession of the chief justice,