HYDERABAD, July 5: Lawyers on Thursday boycotted lower and high courts on the call of Pakistan Bar Council and Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) and staged a rally to express solidarity with the Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

Advocates wearing black armbands took out a rally from the Civil Courts Building and demonstrated outside the press club. The rally culminated at the hunger striker's camp outside Civil Courts Building.

It was led by the President High Court Bar Association (HCBA) Hyderabad Abdul Sattar Kazi, General Secretary HCBA Allah Bachayo Soomro, Vice President Hyderabad District Bar Association Abdul Khaliq Leghari, former HDBA President Chaudhry Basheer Gujjar and member Sindh Bar Council Fazal Qadir Memon.

The MMA's Abdul Waheed Qureshi, the PPP's Amanullah Siyal and Usman Kennedy, the Pakistan Tahreek Insaf's Dr Abdul Samad Sheikh also joined the rally along with their activists. They raised slogans against the government.

President HCBA Abdul Sattar Kazi said the government was exploiting the issue of Lal Masjid to divert the attention of people from London's multi party conference, rain-related damages, and presidential reference against the Chief Justice.