Pakistani lawyers warn government to restore sacked judges or face more protests

A leader of Pakistan's lawyer's movement says the government must restore judges fired by President Pervez Musharraf by Aug. 14 or face more countrywide protests.

President of the Lahore High Court Bar Association Anwar Kamal said Sunday that lawyers will consider staging sit-ins, rallies and shutting down courts if the government fails to meet the deadline.

Lawyers' protests helped undermine Musharraf's long hold on power after he fired dozens of judges last year to forestall legal challenges to his plan to continue as president.

Tens of thousands of people gathered last month in the capital, Islamabad, to press Pakistan's new government to make good on a pledge to reinstate the judges.