LAHORE, May 16: Lawyer bodies announced on Wednesday that they would hold a rally besides boycotting court proceedings on Thursday (today) in protest against the ongoing judicial crisis.

Lahore High Court Bar Association secretary Sarfraz Cheema said the rally was part of an earlier announcement that the lawyers would come on roads every Thursday in support of the Chief Justice of Pakistan.

“The lawyers’ community has only one demand that President Musharraf should step down. This is the only solution to save Pakistan,” he said.

The secretary claimed that people from all walks of life, including traders, would take part in the rally.

Meanwhile, lawyers on Wednesday observed one-hour token strike and did not attend courts. Most of them attended hunger strike camps. The camps have been set up since the suspension of the CJP on the premises of the Lahore High Court and several subordinate courts.

The lawyers wore black-bands and chanted slogans against President Musharraf, demanding him to withdraw the reference against the CJP. Black flags were also hoisted at offices of bar associations in the city and elsewhere in the Punjab. The lawyers at the camps blamed MQM for the Karachi carnage, and demanded registration of murder case against its chief Altaf Husain. They also condemned the Peshawar suicide blast and prayed for the departed souls.

Condemning the bloodshed in Karachi, the lawyers vowed to continue their struggle till the restoration of the CJP and democratic set up in the country.