Imran Khan, cricketer turned opposition firebrand, has gone on hunger strike in jail to protest at emergency rule imposed in Pakistan.
Mr Khan was imprisoned last week under Pakistan's draconian anti-terror laws, silencing another prominent critic as the emergency rule crisis deepened.
His arrest came as the military ruler, Gen Pervez Musharraf, defended the crackdown, in which at least 5,000 people have been detained, saying he expected to step down as army chief by the end of November.
Pakistan's Supreme Court, dominated by government-friendly judges since the imposition of emergency rule, today dismissed the main challenges to President Pervez Musharraf's re-election last month.
Mr Khan's spokesman said today that the hunger strike "will continue until judges are reinstated and citizens' rights are restored".