IHC issues contempt notice to Ahsan Iqbal over Faizabad sit-in

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued on Friday a show cause notice to Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal for not taking any steps to end the sit-in at Faizabad Interchange, which has entered its 18th day.

IHC Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui inquired why the government had not taken any steps to end the sit-in when it had been ordered by court to do so. The interior ministry was represented by the interior secretary before the court. The court ordered the interior minister to appear in person on November 27.

When the district attorney general requested Justice Siddique to extract the show cause notice, the judge asked him whether he was a servant of the [interior] minister or the federation, Dawn reported. The judge further said that the impression should end that agencies are backing the sit-in at Faizabad Interchange.

During the previous proceedings on Monday, on Iqbal's request IHC had extended the deadline to end the sit-in to Thursday. Even after the deadline expired, the religious parties, Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah and the Sunni Tehreek Pakistan, have still now ended their sit-in, demanding government to sack Law Minister Zahid Hamid.