PDM to continue sit-in outside SC till CJP Bandial resigns: Fazl

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Sunday that the ruling alliance will continue to protest outside the Supreme Court (SC) till the resignation of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Aaj News reported.

The 13-party alliance is poised to protest outside the Supreme Court against what they perceive as favourable treatment given by the judiciary to Imran Khan, the Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

This sit-in will coincide with the hearing of the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) plea, requesting the apex court to reconsider its decision to hold elections for the Punjab Assembly on May 14.

Interestingly, this petition will be heard after the court-ordered deadline for elections has passed.

Following the Islamabad High Court’s ruling that eliminated any possibility of Imran Khan’s arrest until Monday, May 15, a day after the apex court deemed his arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case “illegal,” the chief of the PDM chief announced the protest and sit-in outside the top court in a hard-hitting presser.

This announcement was made after an emergency meeting of the PDM, attended by various political leaders, including Nawaz Sharif, the chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Fazl criticised the Supreme Court for granting bail to Imran Khan in all cases after May 9 and accused the court of providing preferential treatment. He alleged that instead of eradicating crime, the court was shielding criminals, particularly Imran Khan.

Furthermore, he denounced the court’s alleged overstepping of its constitutional and legal authority by ordering authorities not to arrest Imran Khan even in unknown cases. Fazl lamented the absence of similar concessions granted to Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, or Faryal Talpur.

In a video message released on Saturday, the PDM chief called on supporters from all political parties to gather at Constitution Avenue in Islamabad at 9 a.m. on Monday to demonstrate national solidarity against what he perceived as preferential treatment of a criminal by the three-member bench of the apex court and the Islamabad High Court.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also the president of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s (JUI) Fazl faction, revealed that all preparations for the event had been finalised, and thousands of workers from all provinces were expected to converge on the venue.

Highlighting the relief provided to Imran Khan through bail, Fazl asserted that the courts were inadvertently bolstering a criminal’s efforts to undermine and divide the nation.

He urged the workers of Ansarul Islam, a volunteer organization affiliated with the JUI-F, to maintain discipline and peace during the protest. Additionally, he appealed to lawyers to actively participate in the event, emphasizing the importance of upholding the supremacy of law.

PML-N, PPP to join protest

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Nayyar Bukhari also announced to join the PDM’s protest outside the Supreme Court on Monday.

In a press conference on Sunday, the PPP leader said the judiciary “clearly showed its bias towards one party” when the Chief Justice hosted “criminal” Imran Khan as a guest of the Supreme Court.

He said the PPP had decided to protest the judiciary’s conduct and would continue to do so until it gets justice from “unbiased and neutral judges of the apex court.”

Earlier, the chief organiser of the PML-N arrived in Islamabad on Saturday following the party’s decision to join the protest sit-in organized by the PDM chief outside the Supreme Court. Maryam will lead the PML-N’s participation in the protest.

This decision was reached during a meeting chaired by Maryam Nawaz, attended by PML-N’s MPAs and other leaders, at the party’s secretariat in Model Town.