dpa - International News Service in English, Jan 31, 2008 04:29 EST
Islamabad (dpa) - Chanting slogans against President Pervez Musharraf, thousands of Pakistani lawyers were holding rallies across the country on Thursday to protest the removal of ex-chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry by the embattled leader late last year.
"The lawyers' community is observing complete boycott of the court proceedings and demonstrations are being held in every city and town of the country to express solidarity with the chief justice," said Athar Minallah, a senior leader of Islamabad Bar Association.
"We are demanding the restoration of 60 unconstitutionally removed senior judges, an end to the dictatorship of Musharraf and the release of all detained justices and lawyers," he said.
Chaudhry was sacked together with his dozens of colleagues on November 3 when Musharraf imposed state of emergency and suspended the constitution. The retired general argued the judiciary was hindering his fight against terrorism.
The opponents said the move aimed at mainly preventing the Supreme Court from ruling against Musharraf's candidacy for the presidential vote for his second five-year term.
After dumping the high court, the president packed it with his hand-picked judges and took oath before resigning as military chief and lifting emergency.
But the senior judges and dozens of representatives of the lawyers remain under house arrest.
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