LAHORE, Feb 7: The Lahore High Court Bar Association members on Thursday ensured complete boycott of the judges, who took oath under the Provisional Constitution Order, after making their colleagues leave the courtrooms at the Lahore High Court.

The lawyers also chanted slogans of ‘boycott’ inside the courtroom of Justice Muzamil Khan after informing him of the Pakistan Bar Council’s boycott call for Thursdays. “You can take anybody, who wishes to go,” said Justice Muzamil, who had been hearing a case, along with Justice Fazl-i-Miran Chohan.

Bewildered, the lawyer at the rostrum looked at the judges before reluctantly withdrawing from the courtroom. Around a dozen lawyers, present in the courtroom to plead their cases, had to leave as well as the lawyers started chanting ‘boycott, boycott’.

LHCBA Secretary Sarfraz Cheema, Khurram Latif Khosa advocate and Rana Akil advocate, along with some 200 lawyers, walked from one courtroom to another to make sure no lawyer was present before any judge. They also went to the courtroom of Justice Sardar Muhammad Aslam, hearing cases, along with Justice Tariq Shamim, and made all the lawyers waiting for their turn to plead cases, leave the courtroom.

Later, they gathered in front of the LHC’s main gate to join around 2,000 lawyers, political activists and representatives of the NGOs marching from Aiwan-i-Adl to the Charing Cross.

When the protestors, holding placards, banners and flags of their respective parties reached in front of the main gate of the high court, the lawyers welcomed them with applause and slogans against President Musharraf. The combined rally then marched to the Chairing Cross, pulling down all streamers put up on their way by PML-Q candidate Khawja Tahir Zia.

Gathering in front of the Punjab Assembly on The Mall, lawyers’ representatives demanded restoration of the deposed judges and condemned their unlawful confinement. They also demanded immediate release of Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan, Justice Tariq Mahmood (retired) and Munir A Malik advocate.

Workers of Jamat-i-Islami, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf and Khaksar Tehrik occupied The Mall in separate groups and kept on chanting their favourite slogan ‘go Musharraf go’.

After holding a prayer for the solidarity of the country, the protesters marched back to their respective courts.

Earlier, addressing the general house, LHCBA secretary Sarfraz Cheema said that their president Ahsan Bhoon would join the rally later on following his return from his hometown where he had `pressing engagements’. But, Mr Bhoon did not join the rally.

Speaking on the occasion, Hafiz Abdul Rehman Ansari said though the lawyers were bound to obey the Pakistan Bar Council decision of restricting the boycott of the PCO judges to a day in a week and an hour daily, they were not happy. He added the attorney general’s appreciation of the PBC decision meant that there was something wrong with it.

He said the president of the Peshawar High Court Bar Association went from courtroom to courtroom to ensure boycott of the PCO judges. He added if the lawyers in Lahore failed to observe even a day’s boycott their movement would suffer a serious setback.

He said some lawyers believed that political parties waiting for the election would join the movement if they witnessed rigging. “It was wrong to assume that they would join us because they would always be trying to grab power. The lawyers like that of the March 9 movement, would have to go it alone, he added.