ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI - The largest-ever Long March organised by the lawyers movement culminated at Islamabad's Parade Ground in the wee hours of Saturday and rejected the Pakistan People's Party's proposed constitutional package. The Long March, which was organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association to press for their demand for the immediate restoration of deposed judges and independence of judiciary, was supported by people from all walks of life, political parties, civil society organisations and the Ex-Servicemen Society. In an unusual development, the leading coalition government partner, Pakistan People's Party, didn't participate in the Long March as a political entity  the way Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Jama'at-i-Islami, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf did. The situation turned interesting for the participants of the rally when PPP Central Executive Committee member Dr Israr Shah took the dais to address the rally. The participants' full-throated slogans rejected the constitutional package of his party. Dr Shah, sensing the situation, cut short his speech by raising the safe 'go Musharraf go' slogan. Representatives of lawyers' bar associations and civil society who got the opportunity to address the rally were unanimous in their stance of condemning President Musharraf's November 3rd action. They praised the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry for his refusal to submit to the orders of a military dictator. They asked President Musharraf to step down without any further delay. Earlier, with lawyers at their vanguard, thousands of protesters from all over the country swarmed the capital city Friday to press the government for the restoration of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry along with other judges sacked by President Pervez Musharraf. The 'long march' that started from Karachi on June 9 took almost four days to reach Islamabad after passing through Sukkur, Multan, Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Jehlum and many other cities. The protestors, including workers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamaat-i-Islami, Tehrik-i-Insaf, Pasban, Khaksar Tehrik, thousands of lawyers and members of civil society, were led by lawyers' leaders Aitzaz Ahsan, Ali Ahmed Kurd, Hamid Khan and Munir A Malik as they started their march from Lahore for Islamabad on Thursday. According to security officials, escorting the lawyers and other protestors, the number of participants of the long march was well over one hundred thousand as the caravan of the vehicles they were aboard was stretched over several kilometers before it reached the capital. Qazi Hussain Ahmed, chief of Jamaat-i-Islami and Imran Khan, chief of Tehrik-e-Insaf, reached here in the evening to attend the rally being held after the march at the Parade Avenue. Mian Nawaz Sharif, PML-N Quaid was also expected to attend the rally but due to security reasons information about his participation was not given to the media. Earlier, addressing the protestors in Jehlum, Aitzaz said, "these are Musharraf's last days" and lawyers would continue with their struggle till the ouster of the president and the restoration of deposed judges. Kurd said that the lawyers' fraternity and the people of Pakistan were about to achieve their goal of the restoration of the deposed judges and removal of the president. He added that the long march would end up with the defeat of dictatorship in the country. The protestors, on their way to Islamabad from Jehlum, were warmly welcomed by the large number of people, residents of small cities situated on the GT Road like Deena, Sohawa, Gujar Khan, Mandra and Sawan bridge. When the participants reached Rawalpindi after several hours long journey, most of them appeared exhausted. However, they regained their energy and appeared rejuvenated when other lawyers and protestors, including eminent political leaders like Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Makhdoom Javed Hashmi of PML-N joined them at Sawan Bridge. Meanwhile, crowds of the thousands of the local people, who had stood roadside, welcomed them clapping, cheering and some showering rose petals on the convoy. The protesters, including lawyers sweating in their trademark black suits in the hot weather chanted raucous slogans. However, the most popular chants were "Hang Musharraf" and "Go Musharraf Go" as they passed by the President Musharraf's residence at the Army House, Rawalpindi. Hundreds of the police personnel were deployed and barbed wire and two shipping containers were used to block the main access road to the president's residence whereas soldiers were deployed in a nearby park and manned two to three sandbag bunkers equipped with machine guns. Eminent among those participating in the march were many retired generals and other senior ex-army officials including Gen (Retd) Hameed Gul, Gen (Retd) Jamshed Gulzar Kiyani and others. The protesters moving in hundreds of vehicles and carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans for restoration of judges and against the president took almost another hour to reach the 'Kachehri chowk' from where they came to Murree Road late in the afternoon. Later, the long march participants were joined by hundreds of the local people who marched all along Murree Road crossing Liaquat Bagh, Committee Chowk and Chandni Chowk to reach Faizabad and hundreds of the vehicles were still to make it to Islamabad. Even a number of vehicles of the participants were seen entering the capital city after midnight to reach the 'Parade avenue' where the rally is being staged. Apart from those coming on Murree Road, dozens of people caravans made their entry into Islamabad at Tarnol, mostly coming from Peshawar, Mardan, DI Khan, Kohat, Hazara and other cities of NWFP. People from Attock, Hasanabdal, Kamra, Fateh Jang and other towns on GT Road also reached Islamabad in large number late in the evening. Meanwhile, participants of the Long March of legal fraternity were accorded a rousy and passionate welcome when they entered Rawalpindi here on Friday afternoon in the last phase of their protest to reach their final destination, Islamabad to demonstrate for the restoration of pre-November 3 judiciary. Protestors including workers of political parties, members of labour and trade unions and civil society members gathered at Sowan River bridge and Kachari Chowk near District Bar Association to welcome the Long March participants while different camps were set up on the roads on the way of long marchers. Earlier the rally arrived Rawalpindi via G.T. Road in the form of huge procession of all kinds of vehicles when hundreds of buses, flying coaches, wagons, trucks, trawlers, jeeps, cars and motorcycles included in long march crossed the Sowan River and entered Rawalpindi near High Court Rawalpindi Bench, it was very warmly welcomed by the lawyers, political workers, traders, doctors, students and the civil society members who gathered from all over Pakistan at Sowan Bridge, the entry point of the Rawalpindi, in a very vigorous manner. The High Court Bar Association Rawalpindi welcomed the procession of the long march at Sowan Bridge at about 3 pm. Those who welcomed the long march included Munir A. Malik, Justice(R) Tariq Mehmood, human rights activist Asma Jahngir, Sardar Ismat Ullah Khan President High Court Bar Association Rawapindi, Sardar Tariq Masood President Rawalpindi District Bar Association and other senior lawyers. The atmosphere at the reception was charged with emotions as the representatives of different bar associations from NWFP, Sindh and from different districts of Punjab addressed the people who gathered there to receive the Long March procession. The speakers expressed their resolve not to return to their native places unless and until the deposed judges were not restored to the position of November 2 2007. National songs were played to invigorate the passions of the participants. Later, the marchers reached at the Kachari Chowk where the lawyers from different bar associations in NWFP and Rawalpindi division and activists of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz, Awami National Party, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf, Jamat-i-Islami, Sunni Tehrik, members of labour unions, trade unions and civil socity welcomed the marchers led by Supreme Court Bar Association President Aitzaz Ahsan who was joined by senior leader of PML-N Chaudhry Nisar on his truck. The people holding flags of different political parties chanted slogans against President Musharraf and in favour of restoration of deposed judiciary. When the long march rally reached in front of the Army House situated at Jhelum Road, which has been turned into the Camp office of the President, the participants raised very loudly the watchwords like "Go Musharraf Go" and "Quit the Presidentship". A bunch of students also danced in between the roads on the tunes of different songs composed especially for Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chauhary. Lawyers' Long March was routed through Mall Road and it reached District Courts where legal fraternity again welcomed the rally. They also burnt an effigy of President Musharraf at Kutchary Chowk. Then the rally after passing through Mayo Road, Marrier Chowk, Murree Road and Faizabad entered Islamabad. The district administration took extraordinary security measures and some 20,000 police officials hailing from different districts of Punjab were deployed in entire city. Fire Brigades, Rescue 1122 and ambulance services were also kept on red alert. However it seemed that Punjab government issued special instructions to the police force to give free hand to the long march and police did not create any hurdle in the way of rally.       The enthusiasm of the lawyers as well as people was remarkable in spite of very hot weather. The long march was led by President Supreme Court Bar Association Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, Ex-President of Pakistan Bar Council Ali Ahmed Kurd, senior leader of PML (N) Chudhary Nisar Ali Khan and Central Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Imran Khan along with dozens of elected leaders of legal fraternity. They were mounted on an open truck.   The leaders of different political parties were also travelling with the long march from Lahore. The procession after leaving Lahore on Thursday took short stopovers at different places where the top leadership of the long march addressed large public gatherings. The whole city specially Murree Road was decorated with colourful banners, posters and portraits of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chauhary to welcome the long march mentioning the catchphrases for restoration of judiciary. The welcome stalls were also set up at different points on the route of long march by various political parties, philanthropists as well as Rawalpindi Bar Association. PML (N) and Jammt-i-Islami also established several Sabeels throughout the city (stalls to provide free of cost cold water and juices) to facilitate the participants.   Interestingly opposite to the lawyers' camp on the other side of the road, Pakistan Peoples Party established their camp to receive the long marchers. In the camp the party flags were hanging and the slogans such as Jiay Bhutto and Zinda hey BB zinda hey were raised by the activists. The peculiarity of the PPP camp was that it was on the way from Islamabad to Rawalpindi whereas the procession was moving on the other side of the road where all other parties had their reception camps. The marchers moved towards Marrir Chowk from where they took over to Murree Road and stopped for some time before Liaquat Bagh where the Rawalpindi lawyers had set up a camp. Speaking there the SCBA President Ahsan said they were ready to carry out ten more such long marches to get the dysfunctional judges functional. He resolved that they would remain sitting before the Parliament as long as that did not meet their demands. Meanwhile the general transport remained suspended on Murree Road and the Mall Road due to the long march. The commuters were seen stranded at different parts of the city as the public transport remained off the road. Traffic was diverted on different roads for its smooth flow. Law enforcers remained busy in helping the procession to move uninterrupted and safe. The allied hospitals remained on alert and reportedly treated some patients suffering from dehydration. The long march entered Islamabad at the evening Friday to stage a sit-in before Parliament for the restoration of deposed judges. Earlier the whole day District Courts gave a look of funfair where the lawyers gathered from across Punjab in huge numbers. They were hugging and talking with each other in a very cordial way. Many political leaders and parliamentarians were also present on the occasion. The Bar Room remained the centre of all hustle and bustle the whole day. Rawalpindi Bar Assocaiation arranged the lunch for all the guests who had come from outstations to take part in long march for restoration of deposed judiciary. Agencies add:  Tens of thousands of lawyers and activists arrived in Islamabad after a cross-country 'long march' to demand the reinstatement of judges. About 20,000 people were taking part, a senior police official monitoring the rally said. One of the protest organisers, lawyer Ramzan Chaudhry, of the Pakistan Bar council, said the figure was 50,000. Ahsan, the chief of the Supreme Court Bar Association and a former minister, told AFP that "parliament must now respect the sentiments of people, the people have spoken and they want the restoration of the judges." While addressing the lawyers in Gujrat and Jehlum, Aitzaz rejected the reports and rumours regarding failure of lawyers' campaign for the reinstatement of the judges, saying the lawyers' movement would succeed and change the fate of the country. The lawyers' campaign is on the road to success, he said adding that the legal fraternity has been committed to the campaign and it would continue struggle for the success of its campaign despite obstacles in the way. The SCBA President emphasised on the importance of free judiciary as a free judiciary is responsible for the swift pace of development of the country. Commenting on quitting Pakistan People's Party, the veteran lawyers' leader said: "I have not left the party as I have a long relationship with it but there are differences with the leadership of the party over the modalities of the reinstatement of the deposed judges." Aitzaz said the caravans coming from all over the county reflects the sentiments of people, adding that the long march has provided a chance to the suppressed segments of society to join the struggle to oust the dictator. Had the long march not started, it would have created an impression that the unconstitutional steps of President Musharraf were accepted, Aitzaz said adding that it is the duty of the state to fulfil the basic needs of every citizen. Praising the role of media in lawyers' movement, Aitzaz said the lawyers community has great respect for the media.   When the participants of long march reached Rawalpindi they were given warm welcome. SCBA President Aitzaz Ahsan and PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif reached the venue till filing of this report.