LAHORE, Nov 27: The weekly rally of the lawyers became a scene of clash on Thursday when PML-N workers scuffled with All-Pakistan Clerks Association representatives when the latter criticised the Sharifs for providing inadequate facilities to clerks in the province. The clerks were taking out a separate rally to press the government to accept their demands.

In reaction to the Sharifs’ bashing, the PML-N workers started chanting slogans against Governor Salmaan Taseer and President Asif Ali Zardari. The two groups engaged in a brawl and the police had to intervene and stop them.

Clerks held aloft banners criticising engineers’ transfers between Rawalpindi and Lahore.

The members of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, however, kept their distance from both the parties while waiting for their colleagues of the Lahore Bar Association. Together they proceeded towards Charing Cross, chanting slogans in favour of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

Workers of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf, the Jamaat-i-Islami and the Khaksar Tehrik also were part of the rally. The sudden appearance of the PML-N in the lawyers’ rally made sense in the backdrop of a tussle between Governor Salmaan Taseer and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

“Join us, together we will change everything,” said the PTI slogan written over its mini-truck inviting people to become members of the party.

After reaching the Charing Cross in front of the Punjab Assembly, the protesters broke up into several groups and chanted slogans against President Zardari. Later after delivering speeches, they dispersed peacefully.

Long queues of traffic were witnessed on The Mall while the adjacent roads too had vehicles moving at a snail’s pace. The Mall remained blocked for three hours, first because of the clerks’ protest and later because of the lawyers’ rally.

Earlier, speaking at the general house meeting of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, Raja Zulqernain of the Pakistan Lawyer’s Forum said the US had been blatantly interfering in the affairs of the state. He condemned the military rulers and their policies and asked the PPP government to stop following in the footsteps of Pervez Musharraf.

Former LHCBA president Hafiz Abdur Rehman Ansari said President Asif Ali Zardari was paving way for sabotaging democracy in the country. He added that Salmaan Taseer, a protege of Musharraf, was speaking ill of the lawyers’ community.

Upon Mr Ansari’s call, the whole house unanimously passed an oral resolution demanding removal of the governor as soon as possible. He said Mr Taseer has no right to confront an elected government.

LHCBA President Anwar Kamal said Article 270-AAA of the Constitution, under which General Musharraf gave protection to all his illegal acts, was required to be removed. He added that the central objective of the lawyers’ campaign was the establishment of rule of law and it could not be achieved unless they had the independent judges restored.

He said Justice Chaudhry was honoured abroad because of the lawyers’ campaign which had been continuing since March 2007.