Maryam Nawaz requires resignation of Pakistan chief justice over Imran Khan’s launch

By Press Trust of India: PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday demanded the resignation of Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and blamed him for the “anarchy” and “crisis” in Pakistan as she joined the ruling coalition’s sit-in exterior the Supreme Court to protest a couple of of the present rulings which they said provided blanket support to former prime minister Imran Khan.

Addressing a gathering of protesters exterior the Supreme Court proper right here, Maryam, the daughter of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, accused the apex court docket docket of imposing a “judicial martial law” throughout the nation.

She said that “free and fair elections are not possible until Umar Ata Bandial remains the country’s top judge” and that polls will be held at its scheduled time “after you (Bandial) step down”.

Accompanied by Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other leaders of the multi-party alliance, the 49-year-old PML-N leader said: “All of you should be aware that the anarchy [â€æ] and crisis that has taken over the country today, the place of its genesis was not Zaman Park as much as Umar Ata Bandial’s post.”

“Today, when the navy is standing with the democracy and Constitution of Pakistan â€æ the fifth martial regulation in Pakistan â€æ judicial martial regulation has been imposed from this developing,” she said, apparently referring to some of the rulings from the apex court docket docket.

MARYAM SHARIF VS IMRAN KHAN

Maryam accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan of doing what “terrorists or Pakistan’s enemies could not do”.

“He and his wife stole the public’s money and then bought plots from this money,” Maryam Nawaz said, together with that Khan, 70, “trained” his “minions” at Zaman Park and set fireside to the Jinnah House.

“Elected prime ministers are sent packing and some are hanged â€æ and [these decisions] are stamped here,” she said, lambasting the apex court over its failure in “delivering justice to the oppressed, bringing the extremely efficient beneath the regulation and strengthening democracy”.

“But the facilitators [â€æ] sitting on this developing are murdering justice,” she said, referring to the top judge.

Hundreds of protesters belonging to the PML-N, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), earlier in the day entered the Red Zone despite Section 144 still in effect in the federal capital and set up a stage in front of the Supreme Court.

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Rehman, also the chief of PDM — a ruling alliance of 13 political parties, had on Friday announced to stage the sit-in outside the Supreme Court against Chief Justice Bandial for facilitating Khan.

DEMAND FOR PAK CHIEF JUSTICE’S RESIGNATION

Addressing the participants, Rehman accused Chief Justice Bandial of violating the rules and regulation of the top court. “I’m tough â€æ chief justice sahib, on this one month you should have carried out misconduct of this court docket docket.”

He added: “You and your companions sitting on these seats â€æ we acquired’t imply you may disrespect or abuse the nation or the Parliament.”

In the same breath, he vowed to protect the apex court building with his life, but at the same time contended that he won’t let “even a single judge harm its sanctity”. He alleged that verdicts were being engineered and his party would allow this to happen.

He also said that all institutions should fulfil their constitutional responsibilities by working within their boundaries and warned the judiciary against indulging in politics.

Several other leaders from smaller political parties also addressed the gathering and accused the chief justice of giving undue favour to Khan.

IMRAN KHAN’S RELEASE

The allegations were levelled following the release of Khan by a three-member apx court bench headed by Chief Justice Bandial which angered the government and its allies and they announced to register their protest against the decision.

It was believed that demonstrators would leave the venue after a token protest but the JUI-F, which is one of the largest components of PDM, converted the protest into a “sit-in”.

“The administration committee has finalised preparations for the protest-sit-in exterior the Supreme Court [in] Islamabad. The administration committee has begun preparations for altering the protest proper right into a sit-in,” the JUI-F tweeted.

The celebration moreover said it may organize tents and assemble washrooms on the venue.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who was earlier scheduled to affix the protest, has been recommended in direction of it by senior members of his celebration. PPP chief Nisar Khoro was, nonetheless, seen standing alongside PDM administration on the stage.

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Meanwhile, Khan said that on the one hand, PDM “goons” facilitated by security firms have been attempting to “take over” the Supreme Court and subverting the Constitution whereas alternatively, the federal authorities was clamping down on PTI workers with a minimal of seven,000 arrested and dozens of unarmed protestors killed.

IMRAN KHAN CALLS FOR PROTESTS

The cricketer-turned-politician, who has an unlimited following in Pakistan, urged all residents to be ready for peaceful protests, citing that it might be the highest of Pakistan’s dream as quickly because the Constitution and Supreme Court have been destroyed.

So with none investigation into who was liable for arson on authorities developing or dozens of deaths of unarmed protesters by bullet wounds , spherical 7000 PTI workers , administration and our women have been jailed with plans to ban the largest and solely federal celebration in Pak .â€æ pic.twitter.com/7p8uiPaYhc
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 15, 2023

“So without any investigation into who was responsible for arson on a government building or dozens of deaths of unarmed protesters by bullet wounds, around 7000 PTI workers, leadership and our women have been jailed with plans to ban the largest and only federal party in Pak,” Khan tweeted.

“Meanwhile, these goons are being facilitated by our security agencies to take over the SC and subvert the constitution. All citizens be ready for peaceful protests as once the constitution and Supreme Court are destroyed, it is the end of the Pak dream.” he wrote.

The PDM-led protest is a sign of escalating tensions between the very best judiciary and the federal authorities of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who modified Khan after his ouster in a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April 2022.

Khan has said the JUI-F “drama” that is being carried out exterior the apex court docket docket is only for one goal — to overawe the Chief Justice so that he does not give a verdict in keeping with the Constitution.