BAHAWALPUR, Aug 28: The movement of lawyers seemed to have picked up steam after a brief lull from the first round victory against a dictator when on Thursday they staged sits-in and blocked railway track and main arteries of cities and towns in Punjab to press for their demand to reinstate the deposed judges.

In Bahawalpur, lawyers brought out a rally of cars and motorcycles from the district courts, which was led by bar president Yahyah Khan, general-secretary Chaudhry Jamil, HCBA district president Malik Muhammad Aslam Channar and general-secretary Umair Mohsin.

They marched the Circular Road and Farid Gate and reached bridges on Sutlej River after parading Bahawalpur Zoo, GBS, Bindra Pulli, industrial estate and railway crossing.

Members of two bars parked their vehicles on both sides of roads, blocking all vehicular traffic for nearly two hours. They later staged a sit-in near the bridges.

Addressing the participants, Yahyah Khan and Chaudhry Jamil, Malik Aslam Channar and Umair Mohisn condemned the government for using delaying tactics in the reinstatement of deposed judges.

During the sit-in, long queues of a large number of vehicles, including trucks, buses, trailers, tractor-trolleys and motorcycle- rickshaws, were seen on both sides of the two bridges.

Commuters of buses and coaches, particularly women and children, faced a great deal of inconvenience due to blocking of roads in the hot and humid weather.

SIALKOT: The lawyers’ community staged sits-in in Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur, besides blocking traffic on several main, link and inter-city roads.

Wearing black armbands, lawyers burnt used tyres and also raised anti-government slogans.

In Daska, a large number of lawyers, headed by bar president Jamil Akhtar Chaudhry, staged a sit-in near the BRB canal bridge and blocked traffic there.

KHANEWAL: Besides boycotting court proceedings, lawyers blocked the GT Road and staged a sit-in on Lahore-Multan Road.

All traffic heading towards Khanewal from Lahore faced a gridlock on Lahore Morr, which caused great inconvenience to commuters.

The Motorway police succeeded in getting the traffic restored after about one hour.

MULTAN: The lawyers’ community and workers of different political parties staged a sit-in here on Thursday.

Lawyers organized a motorcycle rally which started from the High Court Bar Association premises and terminated at Kumharanwala Chowk where they staged a sit-in and blocked the road for around two hours.

The protesters, led by HCBA president Mehmood Ashraf Khan, acting district bar president Syed Iqbal Mehdi, Muttahida Shehri Mahaz president Tariq Naeemullah, JI Ameer Rao Zafar Iqbal, district Tehrik-i-Insaf president Younis Ghazi and PML-N’s Qurban Fatima, chanted slogans against PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari.

Addressing protesters, LHC judge Jahangir Arshad (retired) said that lawyers’ movement would continue till the restoration of all the deposed judges.

OKARA: A large number of lawyers brought out a rally from Quaid-i-Azam Hall under the leadership of DBA president Sagheer Ahmed Harni and secretary Sajjad Naru.

The lawyers blocked the GT Road near Okara by-pass for two hours which resulted in long queues of vehicles on both sides of the road. They also shouted slogans against the government.

GUJRANWAL: DBA members took out a protest rally and staged a sit-in on Gondlanwala Chowk for two hours.

They gathered on the premises of the District Bar and marched to Gondlanwala Chowk. They were also joined by workers and leaders of the PML-N, Jamaat-i-Islami, Sunni Tehrik and civil society.

Speaking on the occasion, bar president Malik Shaukat Ali Awan said that lawyers’ struggle for the independence of judiciary would continue till the restoration of all deposed judges, including chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

KASUR: Lawyers blocked the Kutchery Chowk by staging a sit-in which caused inconvenience to commuters.

Addressing the lawyers, DBA president Sardar Qurban Dogar, secretary-general Sardar Fakhar Ali and others, demanded of the government for immediate restoration of the deposed chief justice. Activists of the PML-N and civil society also participated in the rally.

TOBA TEK SINGH: In some different mood, local lawyers blocked the railway track for some half an hour forcing Buraq Express coming from Karachi to Lahore to overstay at Toba railway station.

Lawyers later staged a sit-in at Clock Tower Chowk suspending traffic for more that an hour on Toba-Jhang Road, Toba-Kamalia Road and Toba-Faisalabad Road.

Earlier, lawyers arrived at the Clock Tower Chowk in a procession from the District Courts Complex where a public meeting was held which was addressed by DBA president Mian Shoaib Muhammad, secretary Sardar Iqbal Dogar and district PML-N secretary Rana Muhammad Anwar.

FAISALABAD: Scores of lawyers, headed by DBA president Nasir Ali and secretary-general Farrukh Gulzar, turned up on the Kutchary Bazaar Chowk and staged a sit-in there.

Wearing black armbands and holding black flags, the legal fraternity was also joined by activists of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Anjuman-i-Tajran, Jamaat-i-Islami, Sunni Tehrik, doctors and labour unions.

They also staged a brief sit-in at Rail Bazaar, Gumti, Zila Council Chowk, outside Chiniot Bazaar and Chowk GTS.

SHEIKHUPURA: Members of the district bar took out a rally under the leadership of its president Malik Nasrullah Khan Wattoo. They paraded the main Lahore-Sargodha Road and ended their march after reaching Mian Bazaar.

Addressing the participants, the bar president alleged that Asif Ali Zardari had cheated the nation by backing out of his promise to restore the deposed judges.

SAHIWAL: Lawyers and representatives of the civil society and traders' organizations blocked Multan-Sahiwal Road for about two-and-a-half-hours.

About 300 lawyers, some PML-N workers and trade organizations gathered at the district courts from where they started a protest march.

After passing through different bazaars, they reached near View Hotel on GT Road where they kept the traffic blocked for nearly two-and-a-half-hours.

Ripping to shreds the fresh oath-taking of few Sindh High Court judges, Tahir Shabbir, Iftikhar Khawar, Usman Shaikh and other senior lawyers said such attempts would not dampen the spirit of the lawyers.

MIANWALI: Bar members boycotted court proceedings and took out a rally, besides blocking key roads at Jahaz Chowk.

The rally was led by DBA president Sultan Sikander Khan while activists of Tehreek-i-Insaf also participated in it.