Nearly 60,000 people showered rose petals over a procession led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Saturday. Flag-waving crowds flocked to welcome Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry in several towns as his motorcade made the 290-kilometre (180-mile) trek from Islamabad to Faisalabad.
Chanting "Go, Musharraf, go," the lawyers, opposition party faithful and ordinary residents rallied to express their solidarity with the CJP. "The chief justice is the one man carrying the struggle against Musharraf. We wholeheartedly support him," said Abdul Malik, a labourer in the town of Pindi Bhattian who waited from 2:00 am to see Chaudhry.
More than 20,000 people took to the streets in searing heat to cheer the CJP in the town of Chakwal, witnesses and officials said. The procession was greeted by another 10,000 in Pindi Bhattian at nightfall before arriving before a densely packed crowd of at least 25,000 people in the furniture-making town of Chiniot shortly before midnight.
A senior lawyer, Omar Irshad, told AFP more than 600 vehicles were travelling in the judge's motorcade. The travelling rally was set to be the best attended of a series of similar gatherings across the country making a rallying call for judicial independence.
Negroponte's assistant Richard Boucher has been here for the last three days holding meetings with government officials, election commission authorities and opposition parties.