ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to file a detailed reply on the agencies’ reports and the federal government’s allegations by Saturday (November 8) that the undertaking given to the Court was breached.
The chief justice said; “We moved in this case carefully and so far have exercised great restraint.” The court expressed surprise at how Imran Khan on arriving in Islamabad at night on May 25 stated he was aware of the order, while in his reply he maintained that he was unaware of the SC order, wherein, ‘Azadi March’ was restricted from entering the D-Chowk.
A five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, comprising Justice IjazulAhsan, Justice MuneebAkhtar, Justice YahyaAfridi, and Justice Mazahar Akbar Naqvi, heard a contempt petition of the federal government against the PTI chairman for violating the commitment given to the apex court not to hold a protest at the D-Chowk.
The chief justice further said that on May 25 the order was issued to maintain peace, adding; “We don’t want our pen to be misused. We have to protect the Constitution”. Referring to the PTI protest, the CJP said they bring 20,000 people and make the lives of 200,000 people miserable.
The CJP also recalled the judgment of Justice QaziFaez Isa regarding Faizabaddharna, which was issued in light of the TLP sit-in at Faizabad.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022