Lawyers head for Pakistan capital

Pakistani lawyers are on the last leg of their nationwide protest

Thousands of Pakistani lawyers and supporters are heading to Islamabad to demand the government reinstate judges fired by President Musharraf last year.

Crowds along the route cheered the motorcade of several hundred vehicles, which is due to arrive later on Friday.

Security is tight in the capital ahead of a rally in front of parliament.

Protesters want the new government to honour pledges to reinstate the judges swiftly and without conditions. The two main parties disagree on how to do so.

Barricades have been set up around the presidency and parliament buildings and extra security forces brought into the capital.

The BBC's Barbara Plett in Islamabad says the authorities are nervous about potential violence.

But neither side wants trouble and they have reached agreement on a designated route through the city, our correspondent says.

'Musharraf's last days'

The lawyers and political activists are travelling in a convoy of buses and cars from the city of Lahore on the last leg of a nationwide protest which started earlier this week.

Parliament must now respect the sentiments of people, the people have spoken and they want the restoration of the judges
Lawyers' leader Aitzaz Ahsan
The "long march" - as it has been dubbed - has passed through different towns and cities as it winds toward the capital.

Protesters were showered with rose petals as they passed through the city of Jhelum on Friday.

"These are Musharraf's last days," leading lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan told the crowd.

"We are out in the streets to save Pakistan."

By early afternoon local time on Friday the convoy had reached the garrison city of Rawalpindi, from where it is proceeding to nearby Islamabad.

Pakistan's deposed Chief Justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, and former PM, Nawaz Sharif, are expected to address the protesters.

Parties split

President Musharraf dismissed dozens of judges, including the Supreme Court chief justice, in November when he imposed emergency rule. At the time he faced numerous legal challenges to his staying on for another term.

The move further enraged lawyers and his political opponents, who were already infuriated over his attempts earlier in the year to sack Mr Chaudhry.

After they won elections in February, both the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League of Nawaz Sharif (PML-N) promised to restore the judges.

But they are split on the mechanics of how this should be done.

The PML-N argues that the judges should be reappointed by an executive order from the prime minister.

But the PPP wants to link any reinstatement to a major package of constitutional reforms.

The differences led Mr Sharif to withdraw his ministers from the cabinet last month, although his party still supports the coalition government.

The two parties also appear to differ over how to deal with President Musharraf.

Mr Sharif has called for his removal and trial for treason, but the PPP appears wary of a confrontation with the president, who has insisted that he has no plans to resign.

Before the judges were sacked, the Supreme Court was also due to rule on the legality of an amnesty President Musharraf granted former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, then the PPP leader, and her husband Asif Ali Zardari.

Mr Sharif was granted no such amnesty.

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