Pakistan's suspended chief justice was cheered by thousands of supporters as he traveled through eastern Pakistan yesterday ahead of another rally to demand the ouster of the country's embattled president.
About 3,000 lawyers, students and opposition party supporters lined the streets of Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province, as a cavalcade motored through the city led by chief justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry -- who was suspended on March 9 by Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf.
They chanted "Go, Musharraf Go," and "No to dictatorship," as Chaudhry drove by, headed toward Multan, a major city in Punjab, where he was expected to address a large rally later yesterday, his lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan said.
"We are fighting a legal battle through peaceful means to ensure the rule of law," he told reporters. "We are confident that we will get justice" and prove that the allegations against Chaudhry were false, he said.
Musharraf has been confronted with the worst political crisis of his presidency since he suspended Chaudhry, accusing him of abusing his office to get a prized job for his son.
Chaudhry denies the charges, and has been fighting a legal battle to be reinstated as chief justice. He has addressed several rallies across the country, drawing the support of tens of thousands of people.
Most of Pakistan's political parties that oppose Musharraf's military rule have also joined Chaudhry's rallies.
Musharraf says he acted against the judge after examining evidence, critics, however, accuse the general of trying to remove an independent-minded judge who could block his plan to ask lawmakers for a new five-year term this fall.
Although the Supreme Court has not indicated when it will make a ruling, political observers expect a verdict next month.
Musharraf has said he would accept any court decision, but it was not clear what Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz's response would be. Aziz recommended to the president that Chaudhry be suspended.
Aziz's term as premier expires later this year, as does the presidency of Musharraf who has said he would seek approval from lawmakers for another five-year term.
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