"The detention of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will come to an end in a few days as no one would be able to detain him any longer".
Pakistan Muslim League (N) chief and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif expressed these views while addressing protesting lawyers and civil society members in front of Judges' Colony, here on Thursday. Former Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif accompanied him.
'We will reinstate the ousted chief justice along with sixty other judges who did not take oath under the PCO as per our promise to the nation,' resolved the PML-N chief. "I pay homage to the lawyers for being persistent to struggle for the restoration of judiciary and reinstatement of chief justice with an unflinching faith", he said.
'I felicitate the nation for defeating the autocratic rule and assure it not to compromise on reinstatement of sacked judiciary and restoration of the constitution in its original form', he said.
He said that result of the elections is an articulation of nations' distrust in Musharraf. The people of Pakistan have out rightly rejected to be governed by him and have nodded for a change, he added.
Earlier, lawyers from twin cities poured in to protest against the regime for detaining lawyers and judges. Together with people clad in black dresses, civil society representatives also came to express their solidarity with the judges. The protest demonstration started from the residence of Aitzaz Ahsan, once a chief counsel for the chief justice, and marched towards the official residence of the ousted chief justice.
But, once again the protesters met the same fate as barbed wires coupled with heavy deployment of security personnel and teargas shells did not let them reach their destination. Both anti-Musharraf icons - Aitzaz and Iftikhar - are under house arrest since November 3, 2007, the day constitution was suspended and emergency was imposed.
The demand for the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf was the binding force, which congregated people from various walks of life to rally against the regime. "Go Musharraf Go" and "No Musharraf No" were the slogans resonating in the air. The protesters asked the President to resign within next 72 hours, release all judges with their reinstatement.
The lawyers had also announced an ultimatum for the political parties to design their strategy regarding the reinstatement of chief justice until March 7. Afterwards, with no other option left they will resort to their protest until the achievement of their goal.