FAISALABAD, June 15: A route plan of local lawyers to bring the motorcade of Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to the Faisalabad District Bar Association premises was reportedly rejected by the police on Friday due to `security reasons’.

The CJP is due here on Saturday (today) on the invitation of the DBA.

The bar wanted to take a round of the Clock Tower intersection via Chiniot and Kutchary Bazaars. The police however asked the DBA to choose an alternative way as the Chiniot and Kutchary Bazaars were too congested to accommodate large gatherings.

The city administration meanwhile removed almost all welcoming banners displayed by the political parties and the DBA. Special teams constituted by the administration also removed wall chalking.

Punjab Bar Council member Arshad Ali Warriach told Dawn that now Mr Iftikhar would reach the venue via Jail Road.

He expressed the apprehension that the administration wanted to create hurdles in way of the caravan but the lawyers would not let it succeed.

DIG (operations) Mohammad Aslam Tareen confirmed that police had rejected the route plan submitted by the DBA.

He said 2,700 policemen had been deployed at various roads and a `foolproof security’ arrangement was in place. He dispelled the impression that police had been given the task to sabotage the programme.

BUSINESS: Local trade leader Khawaja Shahid said all traders had unanimously decided that they would not pull their shutters down. He said police had promised to provide them full security.