PDM Calls Off Sit-In Outside Apex Court After Flexing Political Muscles

PDM Calls Off Sit-In Outside Apex Court After Flexing Political Muscles
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the ruling coalition, has canceled the sit-in outside the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday evening after a "peaceful" dawn to twilight ‘dharna’ in Islamabad.

The protest was planned to denounce the court for allegedly facilitating Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also the head of the Jamiat Ulema-e Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), made the declaration in front of a sizable crowd of protesters outside the Supreme Court in the federal capital.

Despite Section 144 still being in place in the capital city, demonstrators from various political parties, including JUI-F workers and sympathizers, reached Islamabad. Many of them entered the red zone.

Friday saw the announcement by Maulana Fazl that he would organize a sit-in outside the Supreme Court to protest Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial for ‘aiding’ Khan.

The PDM chief refused to alter his mind and planned a protest march of thousands of employees outside the Supreme Court despite the federal government's plea to do so due to security concerns.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the PDM, which is in power, wants to restore the prestige and dignity of the Supreme Court.

He said that the ‘historic gathering’ in front of the Supreme Court demonstrated the importance of the public’s decision-making in the country.

Additionally, he pledged to defend the Supreme Court complex, adding that no one would dare attack the apex court while the PDM demonstrators were present.

"We support obeying the legal system. In Islamabad, we held a people's court," he added.

Fazl said that Imran Khan is responsible for the current state of affairs in the country as he dissolved the assemblies of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Speaking to the demonstrators, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz stated that the PDM respected the Constitution and the judiciary and did not wish to have a sit-in outside the Supreme Court.

"This structure is connected to the development and devastation of the nation." She added that the judiciary's rulings are to blame for the country’s demise.

She also stated that her criticism was directed at those members of the Supreme Court who were ‘facilitating’ PTI chief Imran Khan rather than the justices themselves.