Photo courtesy PMLN
Members of the ruling coalition on Monday reiterated demands for the resignation of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, accusing him of “bias” toward Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, as they staged a demonstration at the Supreme Court.
Led by Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the alliance had initially announced it would stage a sit-in outside the Supreme Court until the resignation of the CJP. However, after several hours and speeches by all major leaders, Fazl announced an end to the protest, saying its aims had been achieved. He also urged his followers to be ready to return within a day’s notice.
The demonstration coincided with the hearing of a petition submitted by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) seeking a review of the apex court’s ruling directing elections in Punjab on May 14. Curiously, it was staged despite the imposition of Section 144 in the federal capital, which bans gatherings of five or more people.
During their speeches—parts of which were censored by broadcast media—the leaders of the ruling alliance maintained they would not tolerate “engineered verdicts,” as they accused the CJP of misconduct. “You have been committing misconduct for the last month and revealed that you will announce P.M.’s disqualification,” said Fazl in a direct address to the CJP. “The P.M. has safeguarded the Constitution and if any attempt is made against the government, we will defend the National Assembly and the P.M.,” he said, warning that if this happened the CJP would be in “trouble” and would not be able to “save yourself.”
Alleging that the court had ousted former Punjab chief minister Hamza Shehbaz to impose the government of Parvez Elahi, Fazl warned that the government would no longer tolerate attempts to disgrace politicians and Parliament. Stressing that all institutions should work within their own domain, he said that if the CJP wished to indulge in politics, he should leave the court. “We want to restore the prestige of the judiciary. Its prestige is so high that the removal of two or three will not make any difference,” he said, adding that the CJP had become “fearful” of the PDM rally and had abandoned earlier plans to issue a verdict against the government over the elections in Punjab.
In her turn at the podium, PMLN chief organizer Maryam Nawaz demanded that CJP Bandial step down for acting as a “facilitator” of Imran Khan. Referring to the PTI’s riots over the past week, she said they explained why the government had resisted elections before October. “In the presence of fitna (troublemaker) peaceful elections cannot take place,” she said, referring to Khan.
Accusing judges of playing a “significant role” in the destruction of Pakistan, she stressed on the importance of strengthening democracy within the framework of the Constitution. Lamenting that elected prime ministers were sent packing by the judiciary in the past, she said the supremacy of Parliament had not been respected. She also noted that at a time when the military was unwilling to impose martial law and was standing with democracy, a judicial martial law had been imposed.