LAHORE, March 6: The lawyers rally in the city laid bare its apprehensions vis-à-vis the restoration of the deposed judges here on Thursday and warned political parties of opposition in case they left the pre-November 3 judiciary in limbo.

Their warning not only reflects a departure from the flexibility they have shown by deferring the March 9 long march to Islamabad but also the political landscape lacking room for the desired change. Their thinking was also evident in the most-chanted slogan in the rally - Musharraf ka jo yar hey, ghadar hey, ghadar hey (Musharraf's allies are traitors).

The lawyers have taken out two rallies - one from Aiwan-i-Adl by the Lahore Bar Association and the other from the Lahore High Court by the Lahore High Court Bar Association - which merged in front of the GPO (General Post Office) Crossing.

Present among them were workers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Jamaat-i-Islami and Khaksar Tehreek, who held aloft the flags of their parties, besides banners and placards inscribed with slogans against President Pervez Musharraf. They also carried portraits of the deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

After winding up the general house meeting inside the Karachi Shuhada Hall of the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) the lawyers gathered at the GPO crossing. They were flanked by representatives of the Concerned Citizens of Pakistan, Bushra Aitzaz and Shahtaj Qizlbash.

They started marching towards the Charing Cross as soon as LBA rally joined them from Aiwan-i-Adl. On their way, the traders greeted them through banners, inscribed with slogans praising lawyers, and by showering rose petals.Upon reaching the Charing Cross, in front of the Punjab Assembly, the protesters divided into groups and chanted slogans against General Musharraf (retired). 'Chief Terey Jan Nisar, Khaksar, Khaksar (Chief Justice your supporters are Khaksar), chanted Khaksar Tehrik workers. The office-bearers of the bars also chanted slogans against the Dutch government for committing blasphemy against the Holy Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) and called for boycotting the country’s products.

Pakistan Lawyers Forum president AK Dogar and Anjuman-i-Tajran president Haji Rasool Buksh also joined some 2,000 protesters for the first time.

Addressing the protesters, Bukhsh praised lawyers for sticking to the cause of independence of the judiciary. He said Gen Musharraf (retired) should step down and the traders would stand shoulder to shoulder with lawyers in their campaign. LHCBA Secretary Rana Asadullah said the political parties must not forget that they got a heavy mandate because of the lawyers' struggle for the independence of judiciary and the rule of law. "They did not vote for the political parties but gave vent to their feelings against Gen Musharraf (retired) by rejecting him through ballot," he added.

He said the lawyers could launch a movement against the political parties, vying for forming the next government, in case they did not restore the judges. LBA President Manzoor Qadir said Today's rally proved that days of Gen Musharraf (retired) were numbered. He said the judges, who did not bow to the regime's pressure, would be restored at any cost. "The exiled leaders could not have returned, had the lawyers not initiated their movement," he added.

“The political parties should shake off the softness (for Gen Musharraf) in their tone. Otherwise, they should be ready to share whatever fate he (general Musharraf ) would have,” Qadir said.

LHCBA President Anwar Kamal said the lawyers, traders, students and people from all walks of life wanted restoration of the deposed judges for the benefit of the country. He added the `black-flag’ week would be observed across the country with all bar associations holding rallies and conventions.He said the Punjab Bar Council would hold a lawyers’ convention on Sunday, the day the black-flag week starts.

He added the lawyers deferred their plan to hold a long march because they wanted to provide the parliament with time to restore the judges. “The parliament should restore the judges on priority,” he demanded.

After the speeches, the protesters dispersed peacefully and returned to their respective courts.

Earlier, addressing the LHCBA at the Karachi Shuhada Hall, Justice Wajihuddin Ahmed (retired) said if the political parties did not restore the judges after coming into power, the lawyers would launch a movement against them. He added it was wrong to assume that the parliament needed a two-thirds majority to restore the deposed judges because a simple executive order was enough to accomplish the task.

He said the lawyers’ movement would succeed soon and General Musharraf (retired) would soon run away. Continuing his speech amid a rousing crowd, the retired judge said the political parties must understand that their mandate was linked closely to the people’s aspirations to have the judiciary restored to its pre-Nov 3 status.

He said there was a lot of pressure for withdrawing from the demand for the restoration of the deposed judges but “we must not yield and resolve to continue the fight till the end”. He added if the judges were not restored, the state would have to deal with irreparable loss.