PESHAWAR, May 30: Lawyers, political activists and civil society groups completed arrangements to accord a rousing welcome to deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on his visit to the provincial capital on Saturday.

The Peshawar High Court Bar Association and the Peshawar District Bar Association have decorated the premises of the high court and its lawn, the venue of a lawyers’ convention, with banners and posters carrying portraits of Justice Iftikhar and other deposed judges.

Different political parties, including the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf, Pakistan Muslim League-N, Jamaat-i-Islami and the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, have set up their camps outside the court as organisers of the convention have announced that only 10 leaders each of political parties and two members each of civil society groups would be allowed inside the venue. Members of different civil society groups have also displayed their banners and placards outside the high court.

The organisers have made seating arrangement for about 5,000 people at the venue.

Political activists and civil society groups will mostly stay on the Sher Shah Suri Road, where the high court building is situated.

The road will be closed for traffic from the Rehman Baba Square to the Central Prison.Lawyers will observe complete boycott of courts in different districts.

Deposed chief justice of Peshawar High Court Traiq Pervez Khan visited the high court on Friday and exchanged views with lawyers regarding the convention. He also offered Friday prayers on the court premises.

He told journalists they had never demanded that they should be restored and they only wanted supremacy of the Constitution and rule of the law.

“When I and other judges declined to take oath under the PCO we had not thought for a while we would be restored in future,” he said, adding that lawyers across the country had been engaged in the struggle for independence of the

judiciary and they had not be striving for their personal interests.

Justice Tariq said they did not want to entangle themselves in the controversy of whether judges should be restored through an executive order or through a constitutional package.

“The government has stated that it will resolve the issue through a constitutional package, therefore, I don’t want to comment on that controversy. Whatever will be the decision of parliament it will be acceptable to all,” he maintained.

Justice Tariq said the lawyers’ movement had turned into a symbol of courage and they had been waging struggle for the 160 million people of the country.

PHCBA president Abdul Lateef Afridi told journalists that Justice Iftikhar was expected to reach the Attock Bridge at about 3pm and was scheduled to reach Peshawar at 7pm.

The deposed chief justice will be accompanied by Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan, Hamid Khan, Athar Minallah, Ali Ahmad Kurd and other lawyers.

Mr Afridi said lawyers would accord a warm welcome to Justice Iftikhar at the Attack Bridge and on his way to Peshawar at Jehangira, Nowshera, Pabbi, Chamkani, etc.

A group of lawyers also took out a vehicular procession that passed through different areas to motivate people to participate in the programme. The convoy started from the high court and passed through the University Road, Saddar Road and other areas of the cantonment.

The lawyers were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans for restoration of the judiciary and deposed judges.

Different civil society groups, including the Peshawar University Teachers Association, Awami Haqooq Commission, Omer Asghar Khan Development Foundation and NGOs, have announced that their members will participate in the convention.

Our correspondent adds from Abbottabad: The NWFP Bar Council will accord a warm welcome to Justice Iftikhar at the Attock Bridge on Saturday.

This was said by Qazi Mohammad Naeem, vice-chairman of the council, while talking to journalists after presiding over a council meeting here on Friday.