HYDERABAD, Oct 9: The deposed chief justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, would visit Hyderabad on Oct 18 amid a warm welcome by lawyers, said a meeting of the office-bearers of the High Court Bar Association (HCBA), Hyderabad District Bar Association (HDBA) and Karachi Bar Association (KBA) here on Thursday.

The meeting attended by the president of executive committee of Sindh Bar Council (SBC) Haleem Siddiqui, president of KBA Mehmoodul Hassan, president of HCBA Abdul Sattar Kazi and others discussed arrangements for welcome and visit of the deposed chief justice.

They also discussed the manner in which he would be brought to the civil courts where he was scheduled to address a gathering of lawyers.

It would be the third visit of the deposed chief justice to Hyderabad. He had earlier visited the city on April 15, 2007 to perform inauguration of civil courts building and then came here to face a reference filed against him by the then president Pervez Musharraf.

Meanwhile, lawyers observed partial boycott of the proceedings of district and sessions courts and complete boycott of the proceedings of civil courts on Thursday to register protest against government’s reluctance over reinstatement of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

A few lawyers did appear in the Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court and sessions courts while no lawyer turned up in the civil courts.

The lawyers mostly belonging to PPP have started appearing in courts despite calls for boycott after their party changed its stance over reinstatement of deposed judges.

The advocates wore black armbands and held a rally in the premises of sessions’ court, raising slogans in support of the deposed chief justice and demanding his reinstatement.

They were led by HCBA President Abdul Sattar Kazi, secretary of Hyderabad District Bar Association Nisar Durrani and joint secretary of HCBA Ayaz Tunio.

Mr Kazi said earlier at a general body meeting of lawyers that the deposed chief justice would be accorded warm welcome on his visit to Hyderabad on Oct 18.

He said that the lawyers had remained completely peaceful throughout their struggle. The government had been formed with the help of people’s votes but democracy had not been restored and rulers had proved themselves to be undemocratic by failing to reinstate the deposed chief justice.