QUETTA, April 24: Lawyers boycotted court proceedings in the provincial capital and district headquarters in protest against the presidential reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhary.

They took out processions and held rallies on the call of the Pakistan Bar Council and Supreme Court Bar Association in Pishin, Loralai, Zhob, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Hub, Sibi, Jaffarabad, Panjgur and Turbat.

In Quetta, they gathered at the district court and marched on the Shara-i-Iqbal. They staged a sit-in at the Manan chowk for some time.

The protesting lawyers carried black flags and chanted slogans against President Musharraf and Pemra.

Balochistan High Court Bar Association president Hadi Shakeel Ahmed said that the lawyers’ movement against the presidential reference enjoyed the backing of bar councils of the country and the government despite using state machinery could not stop it.

Mr Shakeel said that struggle for the independence of judiciary and rule of law would continue till the government accepted the ground realities.

Criticising Pemra, he assured the journalist community that lawyers would extend full cooperation to the print and electronic media against the undemocratic behavior of the government.

Activists of the PML-N and Tehrik-i-Insaf staged a demonstration outside the press club and denounced the government’s unlawful action against the chief justice.

They condemned the holding of rally by the ruling PML in Islamabad.

They said that if PML president Chaudhary Shujjat Hussain thought he enjoyed the support of lawyers he should address them in bar rooms, instead of bringing baton-wielding party workers to the Supreme Court to disturb the peaceful atmosphere.

Our Gilgit correspondent adds: More than three dozen lawyers of Gilgit scuffled with police on Tuesday when they were stopped at the Gilgit Bridge from entering the city.

President of the Northern Areas High Court Bar Association and provincial president of PPP Northern Areas, Syed Jafar Shah, vowed to continue struggle for the independence of judiciary.

They criticised the show-cause notice issued against a private TV channel.

The general secretary of NAHBA, Advocate Asadullah Khan, prominent lawyer Ehsan Ali and Malik Haque Nawaz spoke on the occasion.