Opposition parties to take part in protests

Islamabad: Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) have announced their participation in the March 12 lawyers' long march as well as the sit-in at the constitution avenue in Islamabad.

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Qazi Hussain Ahmad announced his all-out participation and support for the long march and made it clear that he himself will be part of the long march as well as the sit-in. Former Premier Nawaz Sharif also announced his party's participation in both events - stopping short of confirming his personal participation.

Both the leaders announced their support and confirmation after a lawyers' delegation led by Supreme Court Bar Association President Ali Ahmad Kurd met them separately.

Sharif had almost not confirmed his party's confirmation, citing lack of consultation on the part of the lawyers' leaders on the important issue. Sharif's statement then irked the lawyers as some of them thought he might be under pressure from the President Asif Zardari-led PPP government to make a deal to save the provincial government of Punjab where both are coalition partners.

There was also a concern that disqualification cases currently in their final stage at the Supreme Court of Pakistan might compel Sharif to adopt a compromising mood with the government.

However, Sharif's later announcement to whole-heartedly participate in the long march and sit-in later brought a sigh of relief for the country's lawyers - currently agitated by the continuous refusal by Zardari and his ministers to restore the deposed chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, and some fellow judges.

Over 60 Supreme Court judges were deposed by former President Pervez Musharraf when he imposed a constitutional emergency in the country on November 2, 2007.

Later on after taking reigns of power PPP government restored many of the judges but refused to re-instal Chaudhry and a few of his colleagues to their pre-November 2007 positions.

Analyst believe the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) under which Zardari, many PPP and MQM leaders got amnesty from court cases through a deal with Musharraf, was the biggest obstacle in the way of Chaudhry's reinstatement.