News Desk
ISLAMABAD: The ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Monday called on Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial to resign over allegations of providing undue favors to former premier Imran Khan and warned the top judge of possible dire consequences if Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is disqualified on contempt of court charges.
The judiciary and the coalition government, led by Sharif, have been in conflict over delayed election announcements in the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
The Supreme Court ordered the holding of Punjab elections on May 14 after the legislative assemblies in these provinces were dissolved by Khan and his allies in January to pressure the government to call for early national elections.
Sharif though refused to comply with a court ruling on Punjab elections.
During the day-long gathering, the multi-party ruling alliance, staged a sit-in outside the top court in the Red Zone.
The sit-in was organized by far-right leader and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’ JUI-F party without seeking permission from the local administration, despite the imposition of Section 144, which prohibited gatherings of more than four people.
Demonstrators breached the gate of the Red Zone and gathered outside the Supreme Court. They utilized vehicles equipped with loudspeakers to enter the sensitive area. The PDM leadership’s container was positioned in front of the gate of the Supreme Court.
The leaders of the alliance expressed unanimous disapproval, stating that they would no longer tolerate manipulated verdicts. Additionally, they levied allegations of misconduct against the Chief Justice of the country.
“Mr CJP you have been committing misconduct for the last month and revealed that you will announce PM’s disqualification. The PM has safeguarded the constitution and if any attempt is made against the government, we will defend the National Assembly and the PM,” PDM chief Fazl said while addressing the participants of the sit-in.
“In this case, you (CJP) will be in trouble and will not be able to save yourself,” he warned.
“We will not tolerate if courts will make engineered decisions. The court had ousted former chief minister Hamza Shehbaz and established Parvez Elahi’s government [in Punjab]. We give you due respect but we will never allow you to disgrace people politicians and parliament.”
Maulana Fazl tells the Chief Justice that political power rests with the parliament and the prime minister, urging him to step out of the judicial realm if he desires to engage in politics.
During the live telecast of their speeches, it has been reported that the PDM leaders, including Maryam Nawaz and Maulana Rehman, faced censorship due to their harsh comments.
The initial expectation was that sit-in protest would continue for a few days. However, in his speech, the JUI-F chief unexpectedly announced the culmination of the protest on the same day.
Maulana Rehman warned that the government’s supporters would resume their activities if decisions were not made based on merit.
“We will come again, and then we will be the ones making decisions, not you.”
During the event, Maryam Nawaz, the chief organizer of the ruling PML-N and daughter of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, delivered an impassioned speech, accusing Chief Justice Bandial of engaging in “contempt of court.”
She demanded the resignation of the CJP, accusing him of acting as a “facilitator” for Khan.
Nawaz referred to the violent protests staged by PTI across the country following Imran Khan’s alleged arrest in a corruption case.
“I strongly urge this parliament to enact a law that addresses cases of contempt of court committed by individuals within the judicial system. With all of you here as witnesses, I assert that if anyone from the Supreme Court is charged with contempt of court, Mr Umar Ata Bandial should be the first to face legal consequences.”
Nawaz emphasized that her criticism was directed solely at certain judges within the apex court whom she believed were providing support to Prime Minister Khan.
“Fair and transparent elections cannot be guaranteed as long as Umar Ata Bandial remains the country’s top judge.”
“Today, while the military demonstrates its commitment to upholding the constitution by rejecting the imposition of martial law, we are witnessing a form of judicial martial law emanating from the Supreme Court itself.”
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