Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry led a procession from Islamabad to the north-western city of Abbottabad, greeted by roadside protesters chanting "Go Musharraf, go." The weight of the crowds periodically halted the motorcade. He told the crowd of around 25,000 lawyers and opposition activists in the conservative hill resort that the legal community was not alone.
"The people of Pakistan are with you. In the eyes of the law all citizens are equals," he said to his supporters after the 100-kilometre journey. "It is the basic responsibility of the courts to protect the fundamental rights of the people, especially the higher judiciary," he said. "The courts have rejected human rights violations in the past," he added.
Critics say Musharraf acted to ensure a pliant judiciary if, as expected, he tries to remain as army chief past the end of 2007, when the constitution says he must quit. Pakistan's fractious opposition movement has united around Chaudhry's cause in a campaign calling for a return to full democracy and an end to military rule. Witnesses said some 5,000 opposition workers and lawyers greeted Chaudhry at the ancient town of Taxila on his route to Abbottabad.
Another 15,000 welcomed the judge at the town of Haripur, they said, adding the boisterous crowds waved flags and chanted slogans condemning Musharraf and the military's involvement in politics. "We are fighting for the independence of the judiciary and we have the support of the people of Pakistan," Chaudhry's lawyer, Aitzaz Ahsan, told the crowd in Haripur.
The motorcade took 11 hours to reach its destination. It is usually a two-hour journey from Islamabad. People also stood on the rooftops around the venue where Chaudhry was to address lawyers in Abbottabad, witnesses said. As the procession entered the venue the crowd burst into sustained applause, raising anti-Musharraf slogans. Chaudhry's previous rallies were televised live by private television channels, but none broadcast the motorcade after warnings from the government.
The Karachi-based Aaj TV said it had been told not to cover the procession.
"We have received a notice from the Pakistan Electronic and Media Regulatory Authority that we cannot show live coverage from any place other than what is specified in our licence," said Talat Hussain, the station's news director. But Information Minister Mohammad Ali Durrani denied the government had barred live coverage.
"I am not aware of any restrictions on media," Durrani told AFP. The government was incensed when lawyers attending a pro-Chaudhry rally at the Supreme Court in Islamabad a week ago shouted slogans condemning Musharraf and the army's role in politics.