MULTAN, June 21: A large number of lawyers, opposition leaders, political workers and people from various walks of life are expected to welcome Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who is due here on Saturday to address a lawyers’ convention at the Lahore High Court Bar Association, Multan Bench.

The Chamber of Small Traders, Multan, has announced that it will illuminate the city for two days. Chamber President Muhammad Khalid Qureshi said the chamber would crown the chief justice at Kumharan Wala Chowk, release hundreds of pigeons in the air, set up free water stalls along the route, distribute 5,000 lunch boxes among people and shower hundreds of kilogrammes of rose petals on the chief justice.

The Multan bar is the third largest bar of the country after Karachi and Lahore and about 20 bars are affiliated with it. The Multan bar has 1,660 members, while the affiliated Sahiwal bar has 300 members, Chechawatni 75, Khanewal 213, Mian Channu 72, Kabirwala 39, Vehari 143, Mailsi 94, Borewala 105, Lodhran 146, Shujaabad 63, Jalalpur Pirwala 13, Muzaffargarh 178, Alipur 45, Kot Addu 38, Dera Ghazi Khan 204, Taunsa Sharif 12, Rajanpur 84, Jampur 30 and Layyah 91.

The district administration has meanwhile assured lawyers that it will not interfere in the event if the participants do not create a traffic problem in the city.

Acting District Coordination Officer Qazi Ashfaq Ahmed, Regional Police Officer Mirza Muhammad Ali, District Police Officer Muhammad Nawaz Warraich and Traffic Police Superintendent Sharif Zaffar held a meeting with Multan Bar President Habibullah Shakir, General-Secretary Rana Naved Ahmed, District Bar President Malik Muhammad Akram and General-Secretary Mumtaz Noor Tangra. They assured the lawyers’ representatives that the district administration would not block the Channab bridge to stop people from Muzaffargarh, Layyah, Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts from entering Multan.

According to the Pandal Committee, about 7,000 to 10,000 chairs would be placed at the convention site and giant screens would be installed at various places in the city so that people could listen the chief justice’s speech.

Political parties, including the Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, have also made arrangements to welcome the chief justice.

Shakir told Dawn later that the chief justice would visit the injured lawyers of Sahiwal and added that he would not address any bar on his way to Multan. He said that chief justice would arrive in Multan at 6pm and added that invitations had been sent to all judges.