Justice Iftikhar gets warm welcome in Quetta
'Pakistan Times' Wire Service

QUETTA: Deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was accorded very warm welcome as he arrived in Quetta on Monday.

He came to the city after 386 days as he had visited his hometown last time on February 19, 2007 and attended funeral prayer of late civil judge Wahid Durrani who was killed in suicide blast here in the civil court.

Justice Iftikhar arrived from Islamabad by PIA flight PK-363 at 11:55 a.m. and waited for an hour in the VIP lounge of the Airport. Lawyers sacrificed a goat in front of his vehicle to mark the religious ritual.

Deposed Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed of Supreme Court, senior lawyers including vice chairman Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) Ali Ahmed Kurd, president Balochistan High Court Bar Association (BHCBA) Baz Muhammad Kakar, Hadi Shakil advocate and other senior lawyers and provincial president of Pakistan Muslim League (N) Sardar Yaqub Nasir, provincial president Pashtunkhawa Milli Awami Party (PMAP) Usman Kakar and leaders of Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), Balochistan National Party (Mengal), Hazara Democratic Party and traders were present outside the VIP lounge for receiving Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Thousands of workers of All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM), PML-N, JWP, BNP-M, HDP, members of business community, students, teachers and labour unions, Rickshaw Association (along with about 250 rickshaws) and members of civil society and people thronged to the Quetta Airport on Monday to welcome Justice Iftikhar.

Political workers were seen carrying flags of their respective parties while hundreds of lawyers carried black flags to mark solidarity with the Justice Iftikhar.

Besides Balochistan, Lawyers coming from here from NWFP, the Punjab, Sindh and the interior Balochistan led by vice chairman PBC Ali Ahmed Kurd and BHCBA president Baz Muhammad Kakar had started gathering at the Airport on Monday morning to welcome Justice Iftikhar and showered rose petals on him.

Hundreds of lawyers were observed carrying placards inscribed with slogans for independence of judiciary, rule of law, reinstatement of deposed judges and supremacy of the Constitution.

Justice Iftikhar was accompanied by president Supreme Court Bar Association Aitzaz Ahsan, Hamid Khan, Tariq Mehmood, Munir A. Malik, Athar Minallah, and other senior advocates.

Lawyers, political parties, business community, students and teachers unions and members of civil society on Monday lined the route and set up a number of welcome camps on Airport Road and Zarghoon Road to cheer Justice Iftikhar by showering rose petals on his vehicle.

Justice Iftikhar’s vehicle was escorted by vehicles of Anti-Terrorism Force to ensure his security.

Earlier, political workers of APDM who succeeded in entering in the car parking venue of the Airport and presented traditional dance to mark the celebration of arrival of the deposed CJP.

Quetta is the hometown of Justice Iftikhar who was born here. He started his professional career as lawyer from Quetta. He was appointed as Balochistan Advocate General and later as judge of Balochistan High Court. He had also served as Chief Justice BHC.●