HYDERABAD, Oct 18: Strict security arrangements were made by the police and the district administration in connection with the reception of deposed chief justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry who reached Jamshoro toll plaza at around 7pm on Saturday.

On his arrival at Jamshoro toll plaza, he was accorded a warm welcome by activists of the Sindh United Party (SUP), Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party, Awami Tahreek, Sindh Tarraqi Passand Party (STPP),PML-N, Pasban and other groups. Strict security was seen there.

Political activists raised slogans of “Chief terey Ja Nisar bay shumar, bay shumar”, demanding his immediate reinstatement. His caravan comprising a large number of vehicles headed for Hyderabad city at a snail’s pace because activists also started dancing in front of his vehicle.

A heavy deployment of police was seen on the roads leading to civil courts where he was scheduled to address a gathering of lawyers.

Police had blocked the main civil courts road from both sides. Barbed wires had been put in place besides barricades for the traffic. Entry and exit points of sessions court had also been closed.

“We had been asked by the authorities to continue snap checking till 5am since Friday night”, said a police officer, who was performing security duty. Police also conducted flag march in the area twice.

Sunni Tehrik and Muslim Students Federation (MSF) had set up reception camps on Meeran Mohammad Shah road to accord welcome to chief justice. It was his second visit to Hyderabad. He had arrived here in April last year after a presidential reference was filed against him by the then president, Pervez Musharraf.

President Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, a leading light of lawyers’ movement, Munir Malik and other senior advocates were accompanying him.

Hyderabad-based lawyers had been divided over his visit as those belonging to PPP have announced boycott of deposed chief justice’s programme on the ground that lawyers’ leadership did not take them into confidence before fixing Oct 18 for this reception. Their rival group however vowed to participate in the programme.