ISLAMABAD, June 8: A group of retired senior diplomats, including former foreign secretaries, announced on Sunday support for the lawyers’ community and said they would actively take part in the ‘long march’ starting on Monday to press for restoration of the pre-Nov 3 judiciary.

Shamshad Ahmed Khan, Riaz Khokhar, Akram Zaki, Dr Samiullah Qureshi, Asif Aizdi and Salim Anwar Khan Gandapur made the announcement at a press conference at the Islamabad Press Club.

Criticising Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf for imposing the state of emergency, they said some members of their group would join the long march in Karachi while others would stay in Islamabad to receive the march which is likely to culminate in the federal capital on June 12.

Mr Shamshad Ahmed said the group included 30 retired foreign secretaries who thought they should come forward to support the cause being pursued by lawyers and supported recently by ex-servicemen.

The diplomats have served the country at different times and know the ups and downs the country faced over the past 60 years. “They are real patriots and have guided the governments time to time on different issues. It is the need of the time that we should come out against the wrongdoings of President Musharraf,” he said.

The former secretaries urged the Pakistan People’s Party to honour the mandate the nation had given it in the Feb 18 elections and restore all deposed judges, including Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.

Mr Riaz Khokhar said that foreign secretaries, during service, were supposed to give objective guidelines to the government on foreign affairs and now after retirement they were giving their opinion in the best interest of the country.

Mr Salim Anwar said that President Musharraf should not be given any safe passage; rather he should be impeached and held answerable for his deeds.

Meanwhile, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik said the government would not stop lawyers from coming to Islamabad.

“We will welcome them and Pakistan People’s Party will fully participate in the long march,” he told reporters.