On Monday, PML-N chief organizer Maryam Nawaz claimed that Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial was to blame for the ongoing crisis the country has been facing, rather than PTI leader Imran Khan’s Zaman Park home.
This comes after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) gave PTI president Imran Khan relief in various instances due to CJP Bandial declaring Mr. Khan’s arrest in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case to be “illegal” just days before.
She spoke to the PDM protestors gathered outside the SC, saying that the situation escalated after a suo moto notice was issued, the constitution was altered, and Article 63A was misconstrued. She went on to say that the construction of the SC was motivated by a desire to fortify democracy and hold “terrorists” accountable.
She voiced her displeasure by stating, “It indicted former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, but when a culprit of Rs60 billion [Imran Khan] appeared, he was welcomed.”
She wondered if the Supreme Court judges had ever sent home a ruler. She went on to say that the building was establishing judicial martial law at a time when the military was unwilling to do so.
She said that until Mr. Bandial was CJP, free and fair elections were impossible. She said, “[CJP Bandial], I want you to resign and leave.”
She said she wanted to ask Chief Justice Bandial if he was pleased to see so many “real people” on Constitution Avenue, where the PDM is rallying. And “no one damaged anything during the protest,” she emphasized multiple times.
Ms. Nawaz continued by saying that the PDM respected the SC and would not hold a protest against it because the court was the country’s primary source of prosperity. Also, “We will only talk about judges who facilitated Mr. Khan,” she stated.
She asserted that this structure caused any harm to the country.
She argued that the SC was full of bad actors and that the power of the pen CJ Bandial used to support Mr. Khan came from the people and their elected representatives.
According to the PML-N’s chief organizer, CJP Bandial abused his authority by reducing a 4-3 verdict to a 3-2 one. She questioned why we should accept a verdict built on deceit and false evidence. She criticized the judges, saying that they had helped Mr. Khan to the point where they were referred to as “politicians in robes” by other judges.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Bandial deposed former Punjab Chief Minister Hamza Shehbaz, and President Alvi acquiesced by dissolving the assemblies. She continued, “However, CJP Bandial was the most important figure in that scheme.”
She said the chief judge had agreed to call elections once the assemblies were dissolved [in Punjab and KP]. If citizens were so ready for elections, she questioned, “Why didn’t they come out to vote on May 14? She directed her inquiry toward the CJP Bandial.
She also pointed fingers at former chief justice Asif Saeed Khosa for removing Mr. Sharif from office. “They [SC judges] do not safeguard Mr. Khan only, but they are corrupt themselves too,” she continued.
Ms. Nawaz said that Justice Ijazul Ahsan, a Supreme Court judge, was corrupt because of his involvement with the Islamabad Twin Towers. “Another SC judge, Mazahir Naqvi, is under investigation for his corruption, and CJP Bandial is openly leading them,” she continued.
She cited attacks on security installations as evidence that Mr. Khan had been fed by the SC justices and had thus accomplished what even Pakistan’s enemies had not. The attack on the home of the Corps Commander in Lahore, she continued, was the thing that upset her the most. She expressed regret that while Quaid-e-Azam’s home in India was secure, the same could not be said for his home in Pakistan.
We also nominated Generals and criticized the system. She said, “GHQ was attacked twice, once by the TTP and once by Mr. Khan.” Mr. Khan, she claimed, had trained a large number of people while hiding his injured leg. She said it rained them for six months. She stated, “Your history is replete with terrorism,” referencing PTI’s bombings of the PTV and parliament in 2014.
According to her, DG ISPR was encouraged to start a political party by Mr. Khan. She poked fun at the ISPR, saying, “They must be thinking that they should first settle the score with the party [the PTI] they had made in 2014.
She said nobody had ever been in more persistent contempt of court than Bandial. “If the parliament ever passes the bill, CJP Bandial will be the first to face it,” she continued. “If the bill is ever passed.” She said that the way the Supreme Court treated bail law was unique in the world.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maryam Nawaz, leaders of the PDM, attended the demonstration outside the Supreme Court building early on.
Aftab Sherpao and Awais Noorani followed them, as did Mehmood Khan Achakzai.
Attacks by JUI-F members Danger Area
After scaling a fence and overcoming other obstacles, a huge group of JUI-F activists and supporters reached the Red Zone earlier, forcing police and FC officials to make way.
The activists showed up in huge numbers, some with clubs, and entered the restricted area after forcing them through a barred gate. Maulana Fazl and PML-N leaders had been in talks to decide where to hold the demonstration, but the talks broke down.
A sit-in was planned for today (Monday) in Islamabad by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). No decision was made, however, whether the sit-in would occur in front of the Supreme Court of Pakistan or elsewhere.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) leader, announced the PDM sit-in, announced the PDM sit-in, announced the PDM sit-in. Fazl, the PDM’s leader, declared that the group would stage a sit-in in front of the Supreme Court.
To organize a sit-in in front of the Supreme Court, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) submitted a request to the DC Islamabad on Sunday. The JUI-F had also asked for safety precautions for the event’s attendees.