Thousands of lawyers and activists are set to begin a 'long march' from Lahore to Islamabad Thursday, calling for the reinstatement of judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf. Deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry is due to lead the procession from the Lahore to Islamabad, and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has also pledged to join the protest. Security measures are tight for the march, with authorities blocking key facilities in Islamabad with giant shipping containers and rolls of razor wire and monitoring the route from Lahore with CCTV cameras. "The lawyers' struggle has entered into a decisive phase," said Munir Malik, a leader of the lawyers' movement. "We are heartened by the support from the civil society and political parties," he told local television.