Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl Emir Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said that the government will have to withdraw the Presidential Reference filed against Supreme Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa.
Addressing the Azadi March as the sit-in entered 7th day on Wednesday, he said the message sent out through the reference against Justice Isa was that "a judge who gives a verdict based on justice, which happens to be against the interests of the rulers, will be sent home through references."
He said, "Administration advises us to protest in light of court verdicts. If so, then Islamabad High Court Judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui gave a decision and we witnessed his unceremonious exit."
In the same breath, he continued, "Justice Faez Isa also gave a verdict and what he had to face is also before us. Which verdict of the court they want us to follow."
A delegation of lawyers headed by newly elected President Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Syed Qalb Hassan attended the sit-in.
The Maulana welcomed the delegation and said that they endorse all the demands of the lawyers community.
At the same time, he said that judicial activism is not acceptable, adding the state institutions are quite close to his heart but they must undertake their duties by staying within the ambit of the Constitution. "Even a civilian leader will not be allowed to act like a dictator," he added.
He said that Prime Minister Imran Khan claims of eradicating the menace of corruption, 'but doesn't he see the MPs who took him to the power corridors using money?'
He reiterated that one-sided accountability is in no way acceptable and there should be an across-the-board accountability including of those corrupt people sitting in the cabinet of PM Imran Khan.
The JUI-F cleric said the government is going to open the Kartarpur Corridor on November 9, the birth anniversary of Allama Muhammad Iqbal.
"By opening the Kartarpur corridor on the birth anniversary of Iqbal, the great poet, what message, the government wants to convey? Is it going to celebrate the birthday of [Maharaja] Ranjeet Singh instead of Iqbal?" he questioned.
Rehman said that on the occasion of 12th Rabiual Awal, which falls on Sunday, the sit-in will be converted into a conference on Eid Milad-un-Nabi.
He also took an undertaking from the participants of the march whether they are exhausted or ready to remain steadfast till the accomplishment of the goal - the removal of the Prime Minister.
Rehman said the anti-government sit-in has been staged with a view to "fulfilling a national responsibility" and for which "much efforts and resilience have been exercised so far (by the participants)".
"It is not as if we are holding mujras (dance performances) here each night. There are respectable people sitting here. They have not come here to indulge in debauchery. My decency does not permit me to repeat the scenes we all witnessed in Islamabad in the past (sit-ins)," he added.
The JUI-F chief said that PTI's 'hollow' promises to provide jobs to the youth end up in a farce as people have been jobless due to flawed economic policies of rulers.
"They [PTI] say we cannot be expected to give people jobs. So you lied just to get votes? You lied to mislead the youth. This government established under falsehood is no longer acceptable," he declared.
Rehman reminded the participants of 'Azadi March' that Pakistan is witnessing a financial crisis, adding if the next budget is handed over to these "incompetent" people, the economy will be declared bankrupt.
"That is the reason we've assembled here...we're here for a reason and that's to oust the government," he maintained.
Rehman appreciated the protesters for braving harsh weather conditions saying, "If we can survive rain and stormy winds then nothing can stop us from achieving our targets."
Mehmood Khan Achakzai of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) while addressing the protesters said that all the ethnicities residing in the country including Sindhis, Pashtuns, Sariakis, Balochs and Punjabis are equal citizens.
"We are being blamed that we are not patriotic citizens of the country. You put us in jails during our political struggles and you have made fun of the Constitution and violate its every time. You are patriotic and we are traitors," he said. "Pakistan is our country and don't consider us as an enemy of this country," he added.
He also announced that the coming Friday prayer will be offered at the Faisal Mosque.
PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said that the ruling PTI destroyed the economy which his party's government had put on the right track.
"Within a short span of coming into power, the PTI has pushed the country into darkness, anarchy, inflation and poverty," he added.
The PML-N leader said that his party ended the load shedding and revived the economy of the country, but with PTI coming into power, there is nothing left which has not been disturbed.
Two more elderly participants of the protest died after suffering from cardiac arrest. On Tuesday, an elderly man had died at the venue of the anti-government sit-in.
According to district administration, 70-year-old Maulana Saifullah and 62-year-old Maulana Akhtar Hussain belonged to Khuzdar and Noshki districts of Balochistan, respectively.
Due to heavy downpour in capital, the participants have been left with no option but to spend nights at the nearby metro bus station, while some have managed to erect some tents.
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