Fatalities during protest: SC rejects plea urging court to take suo moto

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court turned down the plea of AAG KP to take suo motu notice of the deaths that occurred during the PTI’s violent protest.

A five-judge bench, headed by Justice AminudDin, and comprising Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Mussarat Hilali, on Wednesday, heard a number of cases.

During the proceedings related to the case of Climate Change Authority, the additional advocate general (AAG) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, appearing via video link, raised concerns about the protests in Islamabad’s Blue Area and the large-scale operation that followed. He told about the fatalities on both sides during the PTI protest and made a verbal request to take suo motu notice of the incidents.

The government officials have said that at least three Rangers, as well as, two police personnel embraced martyrdom during the protest, while the PTI claims that eight of its members were killed.

Justice Amin said that the court could only address issues that were formally brought before it, adding “the issue is not before us, and therefore, we cannot address it.”

Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel remarked that the matter is not before the court, and they did not wish to discuss it.

Justice Mussarat Hilali rebuked the KP government’s lawyer, advising, “Do not bring political matters into the Supreme Court.”

However, a PTI spokesperson had alleged heavy-handedness by security forces. “Unarmed protesters were met with a barrage of bullets on Islamabad’s streets, leaving hundreds injured,” the spokesperson said.

Following a late-night operation by security forces, PTI announced the suspension of its protest, promising further guidance after consultations with their detained leader, Imran Khan, and the party’s core committee.

The constitutional bench disposed of a petition related to the integration of FATA into KP, a petition filed by the founder of PTI.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024