Workers from Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) marched to Pakistan’s Supreme Court (SC) on Monday to protest the claimed “blanket relief” granted to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umer Ata Bandial in numerous cases.
On Saturday, PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman called on supporters from all allied political parties to gather on Constitution Avenue in Islamabad on Monday to show national solidarity against what he saw as preferential treatment of a “criminal” by the apex court’s three-member bench and the Islamabad High Court.
Fazl said that the courts were unintentionally helping a criminal’s efforts to destabilise and split the nation by granting Imran Khan bail.
On Sunday, he stated that the ruling alliance will continue to protest outside the Supreme Court until CJP Bandial resigns.
Fazl’s remark followed the IHC’s decision to postpone Imran Khan’s detention until Monday, May 15, a day after the supreme court declared his arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case “illegal.”
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have backed Fazl’s demand and announced their intention to attend the demonstration.
Because of “security concerns,” the authorities advised Fazl to relocate the sit-in to D-Chowk, but his attempts were ineffective.
On the other hand, on Monday, the administration imposed Section-144 in Islamabad.
ECP plea
This sit-in coincides with the hearing of the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) petition, in which the ECP requests that the Supreme Court rethink its decision to hold elections for the Punjab Assembly on May 14.
The hearing was postponed until May 23 by the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court had ordered the government to hold elections for the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies on Sunday, May 14, but the government of Pakistan said it was impossible due to a shortage of manpower and funding.
The federal and provincial elections should be held concurrently, according to the authorities.
On the other hand, the PTI launched its “Ayen Bachao, Mulk Bachao” (defend the constitution, rescue Pakistan) campaign when the government disobeyed the Supreme Court’s order to hold elections in two provinces.
