LAHORE, Nov 13: The lawyers’ weekly protest rally blasted President Asif Ali Zardari and the judges who took oath under the Provisional Constitution Order issued on Nov 3, 2007 -- the day Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency rule in the country.

The president came under scathing criticism for not restoring the deposed judges, including Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, and the sitting judges for taking oath under a ‘supra-constitutional’ document.

On the call of the National Coordination Council, lawyers from the Lahore High Court Bar Association, the Supreme Court Bar Association, the Punjab Bar Council and the Lahore Bar Association had announced a rally and boycott of court proceedings.

Hundreds of lawyers took out a rally but did not observe boycott of the court proceedings. Activists of some political parties, strengthened by the Women Action Forum, medical and teacher associations, participated in the rally.

The PKMAP and JI representatives were more active than others; the latter brought a van with loudspeakers through which they chanted slogans against the government.