ISLAMABAD , May 15, 2023: PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz said on Monday the crisis the country had been going through in recent times brewed less from PTI chief Imran Khan’s residence in Zaman Park and more from Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Uamr Ata Bandial’s chair.
Addressing the PDM’s sit-in outside the Supreme Court (SC), she said it all started when an irrelative suo-motu notice was taken, constitution was rewritten and [Article] 63-A was misinterpreted. “The building [of the SC] was meant to strengthen the democracy and bring “terrorists” to accountability”, she added.
“It indicted former PM Nawaz Sharif but when a culprit of Rs60 billion [Imran Khan] appeared, he was welcomed,” she decried.
Did they [SC judges] ever send any dictator home, she asked. “Now when the military is not willing to impose martial law, standing beside the constitution and democracy, this building is imposing judicial martial law,” she added.
She said she wanted to ask CJP Bandial whether he was happy seeing large swathes of real people on the Constitution avenue or not. “No one damaged anything during the protest,” she added.
Ms Nawaz went on to say that the PDM respected the SC adding that it did not want to stage protest because the court was the source of everything the country got. “We will only talk about judges who facilitated Mr Khan,” she added.
“Whenever country suffers damage, it comes through this building,” she claimed.
She continued by saying that the pen CJ Bandial used to back Mr Khan derived its power from people and their elected representatives, adding that ill-intentioned people were sitting in the SC.
She said CJP Bandial abused his power to change the 4-3 verdict to 3-2 verdict. “Why should we agree with verdict that was based on ill-intentions and lies,” she asked. “You facilitated Mr Khan in a way that you were called “politician in robes” by your fellow judges and no one else”, she said.
CJP Bandial dethroned former Punjab CM Hamza Shehbaz and launched a CM who dissolved the assemblies afterwards, adding that President Alvi also connived in it. “However, the biggest character of that conspiracy was CJP Bandial,” she added.
CJP Bandial was asked if he would announce elections after the assemblies were dissolved and he agreed to it, she claimed. “I ask CJP Bandial if people were eager for elections, why did not they come out to vote on May 14,” she asked.
Another culprit was Asif Saeed Khosa who wiped Nawaz from politics, she said. “They do not safeguard Imran only but they are corrupt themselves too,” she added.
She claimed that Twin tower was the clear evidence of SC judge Justice Ijazul Ahsan’s corruption. “Another SC judge Mazahir Naqvi is under investigation for his corruption and CJP Bandial is openly leading them,” she added.
Highlighting attacks on security installments, she said they had been feeding Imran and he did what even Pakistan’s enemies could never do. “What disappoints me the most was attack on Corps Commander’s house in Lahore,” she added. Quaid-e-Azam’s house in India was safe, she lamented, but his house in his country was not safe.
We also crticised the establishment and named Generals. “GHQ was attacked two times; first by the TTP and for the second time by Mr Khan,” she added. Mr Khan trained his masses in the guise of bruised leg, she said. It took six months to rain them, she claimed. Citing Imran’s attacks on the PTV and the parliament she said “your history is replete with terrorism”, she said.
She said Mr Khan suggested DG ISPR to make a political party. “The ISPR must be thinking that they should first settle the score with the party [the PTI] they had made in 2014,” she mocked.
No one ever committed contempt of court as much as Bandial did, she said. “If the parliament ever passes the bill, CJP Bandial will be the first to face it,” she added. Bail law was never mocked in the world the way as it had been done in the SC, she claimed.
Free and fair elections could not be held until he was the CJP, she said. “Tender your resignation and go home, she added.
Earleir, PDM leaders Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maryam Nawaz arrived at the PDM protest outside the Supreme Court building.
They were accompanied by Mehmood Khan Achakzai, Aftab Sherpao and Awais Noorani.
Earlier, a large number of JUI-F activists and supporters entered the Red Zone after scaling a gate and overcoming other obstructions, prompting police and FC personnel to step aside.
The activists, armed with clubs, appeared in large numbers and entered the prohibited area after breaking open the gate the administration had locked to prevent their entry. The situation emerged after talks between Maulana Fazl and the PML-N leaders failed on the venue for the protest.
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) had decided to hold a sit-in in Islamabad today (Monday). However, no decision was taken whether the sit-in would be held outside the Supreme Court of Pakistan or elsewhere.
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said he would lead the sit-in by the PDM. Fazl is also head of the PDM and announced that the activists would hold a sit-in outside the Supreme Court.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) had submitted a request to the deputy commissioner (DC) Islamabad on Sunday, seeking permission to hold a sit-in outside the Supreme Court. The JUI-F had also requested security for the participants and other related arrangements.