Thousands of people turned out to greet Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Saturday as he travelled to Multan to drum up support against his suspension. The chief justice left Lahore early on Saturday in a motorcade of 150 vehicles. Hundreds of people gathered to mark his departure and showered his vehicle with rose petals. He was due to arrive in Multan later in the evening to address the district bar, but was delayed and the speech was likely postponed to Sunday. By 10pm on Saturday, he had reached Sahiwal. Along the way he stopped off at Patoki, Shah Pur Kanjan, Phool Nagar, Patoki, Choonian, Habaibabad bypass and Okara. At each point, he was greeted by opposition supporters, lawyers and members of the general public with rose petals, drum beats and anti-government slogans. He attended a reception at the Okara Bar Association, where his defence lawyers made speeches and he was awarded lifetime membership of the district bar.
Aitzaz Ahsan, the CJPÂ’s lead counsel, said all judges should follow the chief justice by rejecting government pressure. He said the lawyersÂ’ movement for the reinstatement of the CJP was unprecedented, and if successful, would mark a new turning point in the history of Pakistan, and lead to a new social contract between politicians and civil society.