It has been over a year since the legal fraternity in Pakistan has been at odds with the establishment. First, it was the Chief Justice reference, then it was the Presidential elections [which the lawyers’ community vehemently opposed], then the proclamation of Emergency and the subsequent sacking and arrests of lawyers and judges. And now, the lawyers are all set to lead a long march from various cities to reach Islamabad on June 11, where they hope their show of strength will force the government to restore the deposed judges through an executive order, and not through a controversial constitutional package.

But will they be successful? The PPP has given the lawyers a free hand to go about their protests, unlike the previous establishment, but has not shown made any positive developments in helping the cause of the judiciary, save for setting the judges free from house arrest. Some say that the PPP did not win the February 18th elections due to the judges’ issue in the first place, hence why should they make it their top priority? And already reports have started floating around that barbed wires are being laid on the road where the long march is to take place.

The party that did champion the judges’ issue, the PML-Nawaz group, has shown no signs of flexibility however, which has resulted in months of negotiations, and a general feeling of instability in the country.

Nevertheless, as lawyers head towards Islamabad, it will be the government’s first test in dealing with large scale protests, and for an issue, it has yet to, or perhaps doesn’t want to, to find an answer for.