LAHORE, June 12: After assembling at the Lahore High Court from Sindh and Punjab, lawyers left for Islamabad along with political workers, members of group called Concerned Citizens of Pakistan and the Student Action Committee.

The Mall Road remained blocked for several hours as participants of the long march prepared to leave the city on hundreds of vehicles.

Several political leaders of All Pakistan Democratic Movement (APDM), including Tehrik-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan, Jamaat-i-Islami leader Liaquat Baloch, Khaksar Tehrik chief Hameeduddin Mashriqi and Christian leader J Salik addressed the participants of the long march before their departure.

Starting from GPO Chowk, lawyers’ leaders Aitzaz Ahsan, Ali Ahmed Kurd, Hamid Khan, Munir A Malik, former SCBA president Khurshid Ahmed Kakar, HRCP chairperson Asma Jahangir and others led the caravan. Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, who was originally set to see off the protesters, had already left for Islamabad.

The LHCBA secretary said lawyers had left from Muzafarabad, Abbotabad and Peshawar for Islamabad. The Lawyers Long March Implementation Committee would decide further course of action after reaching Islamabad. Traffic wardens and heavy contingents of police had been present on the spot to avert any untoward incident.

Speaking on the occasion, PTI chief Imran Khan asked PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif to move a resolution in the national assembly for the restoration of judiciary to test the parliament’s sincerity with the cause of an independent judiciary.He said he would welcome the participants of the long march and Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry at Karachi Company in Islamabad and also address the participants there.

He said the deposed judges were being betrayed for the sake of controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance. He urged PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari not to protect Pervez Musharraf. “Today's slgans of ‘go Musharraf go' could turn into go Zardari go,” he warned.