ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – A year ago I filmed supporters of Pakistan's top judge Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry with their faces red from tear gas as they protested for the ousted chief justice - sacked by former President Pervez Musharraf - to be restored to his post.

Pakistanis celebrate Sunday in Islamabad.

On Sunday, as their wish was granted, their faces were red with laughter.

"Today is a day of celebration," said human rights activist Tahira Abdullah, one of hundreds who had gathered outside the chief justice's house for a flag-raising ceremony. "And a day of dancing," she added, breaking into a jig.

Even against a chaotic backdrop of rising militancy and crippling economic instability, this is a moment that has restored hope for many Pakistanis.

Whether they took part in the protests or not, many here believe Chief Justice Chaudhry's return signals real democratic change in the country. Chaudhry, the man who has come to symbolize democracy and fairness, carries a lot of expectations on his shoulders as he goes back to work.

One member of the lawyer's movement said Sunday's ceremony recognized that the office of chief justice was untouchable, either by a military dictator or any other government. She called it the most momentous occasion in Pakistan's 61-year history.

While critics question whether Chaudhry is a suitable vessel for such hopes, the fact is that people rallied behind the lawyers' movement and rallied for the supremacy of law and order in the face of authoritarianism. At the end of the day, it isn't about the man as much as the office he represents.

Sunday's festivities were as chaotic as the marches and demonstrations had been. Over the years, the lawyers have attracted political parties, activists and anyone with a cause. Today was no exception.

Political parties clamored to break through the gates and police barricades to take part. There were arguments and scuffles. A microcosm of Pakistani politics played out on the chief justice's doorstep as I saw one woman fighting a man twice her size.

Black-suited organizers tried to cajole the crowd, thanking political groups for their support, pleading with attendees to maintain an apolitical presence and scolding those who chanted party slogans. The chief justice himself was not present at the festivities.

Whether they like it or not, the lawyers' movement has now become politicized. Unlike mainstream political groups, the lawyers weren't driven by an individual or an individual's agenda, so people rallied behind them across party lines and sectarian divides.

With this political powerbase, the lawyers are now setting their sights on a new target: dissatisfaction with President Asif Ali Zardari's government.

"Watch out Zardari!" said one lawyer Sunday. "We're free now."