MULTAN, June 10: Deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry arrived here on Tuesday to a warm welcome by lawyers, political workers and members of the civil society.

He came to the city to welcome the participants of long march and see them off on Wednesday morning to Lahore. He was accompanied by Supreme Court Bar Association president Aitzaz Ahsan and other prominent lawyers.

Justice Iftikhar will leave for Lahore by air on Wednesday morning to receive the participants there in the evening.

The long march participants, who left Sukkur earlier in the day, reached Lodhran, 70km from Multan, at about 11.15pm. They received warm welcome as they passed through Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur districts. The size of the caravan kept on growing as lawyers and political activists joined them in almost all towns along the route. They chanted slogans against President Pervez Musharraf and in support of the deposed chief justice.

In Multan, banners inscribed with slogans in favour of Justice Iftikhar dotted the city. The PML-N, APDM, lawyers’ community, traders and NGOs set up reception camps in different parts of the city.

The district administration provided official protocol to Justice Iftikhar on his arrival. Strict security arrangements were made and even lawyers were not allowed to go near the bullet-proof vehicle of the deposed chief justice.

Groups of lawyers, civil society and political activists from the various cities of southern Punjab continued to arrive in Multan till night to participate in the march.