LAHORE, July 2: The strength of the lawyers’ movement for the restoration of judges will be put to test here when two local bar associations will join hands to take out their routine rally on The Mall on Thursday (today).

The success or failure of the boycott of court proceedings will serve as another strong indicator of the status of the lawyers’ movement, which, the observers say, has run out of steam. The participation of political parties associated with the All Pakistan Democratic Alliance and the PML-N will also determine the fate of the movement.

“The lacklustre in the movement was a natural phenomenon. In lengthy movements, a short break does not signal an end,” Pakistan Bar Council member Hamid Khan told Dawn.

Khan does not perceive the division among the members of the PBC on party lines as a setback to the movement. He believes the movement for the restoration of judges is alive and will pick up after a brief recess in the wake of the long march.

However, a realisation among lawyers regarding the pace of the movement is obvious. “We are going to ensure a boycott of court proceedings in the Supreme Court as well,” said Supreme Court Bar Association media adviser Azhar Siddique. He added all the office-bearers of the SCBA were leaving for Islamabad to ensure boycott of the court proceedings in line with the call of the PBC.

“We are not going to quit the movement unless the judges are restored,” said Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) president Anwar Kamal. He added some lawyers may be “frustrated and angry” because the long march did not conclude according to their expectations.

He said the steps were being taken to induce better coordination, which certainly lacked in the long march, and caused a lot of confusion. Kamal said he was holding a meeting of all high court bar associations in Lahore on July 5 to improve the movement.Later, he said, on July 12, all the district bar associations of Punjab would meet in Lahore with the same objective.