Long march begins from Karachi, Quetta despite arrests
Lawyers and activists of political parties began long march for the restoration of judiciary as arrests continued unabated across the country on Thursday.
Police baton-charged activists and manhandled dozens into vans in Karachi, as thousands defied the government in a mass protest. The Jamaat-e-Islami leaders Prof. Ghafoor Ahmad, Asadullah Bhutto and Mohammad Hussain Mehenti, president Karachi Bar Muhammad Ali Abbasi, general secretary Naeem Qureshi and many other political workers have been arrested from Karachi.
Earlier, a large number of lawyers gathered outside Sindh High Court (SHC) from where long march was kicked off. A rally of lawyers, headed by Rasheed A. Rizvi, left for Mazar-e-Quaid at 12pm from Sindh High Court Bar room. Police had sealed all the routes leading to City Court before the protestors arrived there.
Lawyers in black suits and opposition party activists carrying flags and punching their fists in the air marched in Karachi and Lahore, demanding that President Asif Ali Zardari reinstate sacked judges.
Around 2,000 lawyers, political workers and civil activists rallied in Lahore. The lawyers' leader, Aitzaz Ahsan, said people were determined to flout the government's invoking of a 19th century British law banning rallies.
"Today we have defied Section 144. It shows public morale is very high and they will reach Islamabad on March 16," Ahsan said.
Hundreds of thousands of lawyers, opposition supporters and civil activists will join a four-day convoy on the 1,500 kilometers (940 miles) route from Karachi to Islamabad, where it is intended to arrive Monday.
Meanwhile, lawyers gathered in district court Quetta. The President of Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Ali Ahmad Kurd is leading the long march which began at 12pm from District Court. There was no obstacle from the provincial government and the march went on smoothly. The PML-N, Pashtoonkhwa Mili Awami Party, PTI and other political parties' activists are participating in the long march.
===================================Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf remains committed to the movement for the restoration of the judiciary as it stood on November 2, 2007 with Iftikhar Chaudhary as the Chief Justice. PTI is calling on all members of society to join in the 16 March Long March as well as the 'dharna' for ensuring the restoration.
