PESHAWAR, Aug 19: The lawyers here on Tuesday observed thanksgiving day to celebrate the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf and called upon the government to restore the pre-Nov 3 judiciary forthwith.

They first held Khatm-i-Quran at the district courts and prayed for the development and progress of the country and restoration of the judges.

Later they took out a procession which passed through different roads. The procession was led by the president of Peshawar District Bar Association, Fazlaur Rehman Khan, general secretary Yasir Khattak, Iqbal Mohmand, Gulab Shah, Ayesha Malik and others.A drum beater was accompanying the procession. Some of jubilant lawyers were dancing to the drum beat. They also shared sweets. The procession culminated at the Sessions Courts.

Meanwhile, the Peshawar High Court Bar Association president Abdul Lateef Afridi said that the resignation of Pervez Musharraf was a historic victory of the democratic forces. He told journalists that with this resignation the supremacy of the Parliament had been restored.

He stated that despite defeating the supporters of dictators in the Feb 18 general elections, the democratic forces were not free to exercise powers as Pervez Musharraf remained centre of power. He added that after his resignation the democratic forces were now in a position to exercise its authority.

Mr Afridi added that now the ruling coalition could not offer any excuse for the restoration of the deposed judges. He hoped that with the ouster of Musharraf the economy would flourish and foreign currency reserves would increase.

Our Correspondent from Timergara adds: The jubilant lawyers of Dir Lower held a celebrity party here on Tuesday at the district barroom. Timergara District Bar Association president Hazrat Rahman presided over the party. The lawyers distributed sweets. They demanded of the coalition government to fulfil its promise of reinstating all the deposed judges.

They termed the resignation of president Musharaf as a victory of the lawyers’ movement. They vowed to continue their struggle till reinstatement of the deposed judges.