QUETTA, May 2: Lawyers on Wednesday boycotted court proceedings in the provincial capital and district headquarters of the province and held protest rallies.

The lawyers took out procession, led by Hadi Shakeel Ahmed, president of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, and Hashim Khan Kakar, vice-chairman of the Balochistan Bar Council, passed through Shahra-i-Iqbal, Meezan Chowk and Mannan Chowk and staged a sit-in outside the GPO Chowk.

Holding black flags and placards inscribed with slogans against President Gen Pervez Musharraf and the presidential reference against Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, the lawyers chanted slogans in favour of the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

Mr Shakeel and Hashim Kakar in their speeches said the lawyers boycotted proceedings of the courts in Quetta, Pishin, Loralai, Zhob, Ziarat, Sibi, Dera Murad Jamali, Mastung, Kalat, Khuzdar, Hub, Panjgur and Turbat.