KARACHI, July 29: The legal fraternity, representatives of civil society and workers of political parties accorded a rousing welcome to the deposed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry on his arrival here at the Karachi airport on Tuesday. However, his schedule was disrupted by the sudden death of a senior lawyer.

A large number of lawyers and political and social activists had gathered at the airport to welcome Justice Iftikhar. They carried placards, banners and flags, and shouted anti-Musharraf and anti-government slogans and showered flower petals on the deposed chief justice when, accompanied by Supreme Court Bar Association President Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, he came out of the airport building around 1pm. Justice Iftikhar’s motorcade, comprising a dozen of vehicles, took over five hours to reach the relevant hotel adjacent to Bagh-i-Jinnah.

Besides the lawyers, provincial leaders and activities of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, the Jamaat-i-Islami, Tehrik-i-Insaf, Sunni Tehrik and other components of the APMD, activists of non-governmental originations and members of civil society largely attended the reception.

The political workers had also set up camps on the way of the motorcade to welcome the disposed chief justice. They raised anti-Musharraf and pro-Iftikhar slogans and showered rose petals on the deposed chief justice’s vehicle as it passed by.

Meanwhile, the president of the Sukkar High Court Bar Assocaition and senior vice-president of the Pakistan Bar Council, Imdad Ali Awan, died of cardiac arrest. Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry was travelling in Mr Awan’s vehicle when the later suffered the severe heart attack. Through he was rushed to hospital, doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

Another lawyer, Owais Jaffar, also suffered a heart attack and was admitted to a nearby hospital while former president of the Malir Bar Association Zahoor Hussain Maher and a woman lawyer also fell unconscious during the welcome procession due to the sultry weather.

It was Justice Iftikhar’s first visit to the city after May 12, 2007, when he was forced to fly back to Islamabad after nine hours’ restricted stay at the airport. The people of the metropolis had witnessed one of the bloodiest and most terrible days in recent history when around 50 people were killed and over 100 wounded in the mayhem.

The authorities had made strict security arrangements at the airport to avert any untoward incident while heavy contingents of law-enforcement agencies were deployed on the route of Justice Iftikhar’s convoy.

The general-secretary of the Karachi Bar Association, Naeem Qureshi, expressed satisfaction over the security arrangements. However, he said, the lawyers had sought a bullet-proof vehicle for Justice Iftikhar but the provincial government turned down the request.

The workers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Awami National Party, Pakistan People’s Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement distanced themselves from the reception for the deposed chief justice.

Talking to the media in a local hotel, SCBA president Aitzaz Ahsan praised the legal fraternity, political workers and representatives of civil society and NGOs for giving a warm welcome to the deposed justice.

He said the movement leaders would wait for the government’s policy regarding the reinstatement of the deposed judges to their pre-PCO positions till Aug 14, and if the government failed to restore the judiciary, the lawyers would finalise a future course of action.

He condoled the death of senior lawyers Imdad Awan and appreciated his role in the lawyers’ ongoing movement.

Later, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry attended the funeral prayers of Imdad Awan. Mr Awan’s body will be taken to his native village in Sukkur, where he will be buried on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, legal proceedings remained suspended at the City Courts and District Courts Malir on Tuesday as the Karachi Bar Association had announced a two-day boycott on account of Justice Iftikhar’s visit.

Though undertial prisoners were brought to the City Courts from different prisons, their cases could not be heard due to the lawyers’ strike, and they were taken back to their respective prisons without being produced in court. However, the judges remained in their chambers.