ISLAMABAD, June 14: A number of PPP leaders on Saturday claimed credit for a peaceful end to the lawyers’ long march that they did not join. But some of them appeared to be unhappy over attempts by a few government and party functionaries to belittle the event.

No leader of the Pakistan People’s Party was ready to speak on record about the number of participants in the march and its impact on future politics, but in private conversations they admitted that it was a big and unprecedented show of strength in Islamabad’s history.

In reply to a question about a statement of Rahman Malik, adviser to the prime minister, that the turnout ranged between 15,000 and 20,000, the PPP leaders said it appeared to be a “political statement”.

Most of them believed that the long march was also against their government because of PPP’s “unclear policy” on the judges issue. They admitted that they were having great difficulties in facing the media and their own supporters while defending the party policy on issues like judges’ reinstatement and the impeachment of President Musharraf.

The PPP leaders were also critical of the statement of Punjab Governor Salman Taseer one day before the final phase of the protest in which he had claimed that the march had failed.

They urged PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari to take note of statements made by Mr Malik and Mr Taseer because these were damaging the party’s image. They said the PPP was an advocate of the independence of judiciary, but regretted that the current policy had overshadowed their contributions.