SC orders PAT, PTI to completely vacate routes to Constitution Avenue
SC orders to completely clear all the routes leading to the Supreme Court headquarters.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News)— Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered to completely clear all the routes leading to the Supreme Court headquarters by tomorrow, Dunya News reported.
A five-member bench led by Justice Nasirul Mulk heard the case against Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri pertaining to the extra-constitutional measures to remove the government. During the case hearing, Attorney General submitted government’s response regarding the sit-in protests by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT). Justice Saqib Nisar remarked that political mess should be kept away from the courts. The Constitution Avenue has been blocked and the protestors are hindering people’s right to free movement, said Nisar, adding that some complaints of stopping people at Constitution Avenue have been received.
Responding to this, Advocate Ali Zafar of PTI said that if people are stopped at Constitution Avenue, it should be considered their personal issue. When our leadership addresses the public, people get emotionally charged and in that kind of an uproar it is difficult to handle everyone, he added.
Justice Saqib said that the sit-in protests won’t be interrupted but the protestors must not violate the basic fundamental rights of the citizens. It is a matter of serious concern if the basic rights of people are violated. After the creation of Pakistan, the only blessing the nation has received is that of the constitution. Speaking to Advocate Ali Zafar, Justice Jawad S Khwaja said that PTI leadership is unable to control the crowd because the constitution is not being adhered to and the political situation is leading to anarchy. It’s our responsibility to abide by the constitution and provide justice to the people but even we face extreme difficulties in reaching the court because of the protests, said Khwaja. The judges, including chief justice have been facing difficulties in reaching the Supreme Court and instead have been taking a longer route. Besides, a number of cases have also been adjourned because the counsel and litigants couldn’t reach the court.
Advocate Ali Zafar mentioned here that fourteen people were killed in the Model Town tragedy and hence, PTI is standing up to secure the rights of the common people. All those affected by the Model Tragedy are bearing far more pain than these petty concerns of physical immobility, argued Ali Zafar.
PTI has assured that the flow of traffic at Constitution Avenue would be restored, he stressed. Replying to his remarks, Justice Amirul Mulk said that the case regarding model town tragedy is under trial in the Lahore High Court and hence should be avoided. Justice Saeed Asif Khosa said that the problem is not that of the Constitution Avenue but the constitution which is being violated.
In an interm order the court said that the club-wielding workers are carrying out exhaustive inspection of the passers-by including lawyers in an attempt to harass them. The court ordered that the route to Supreme Court building must be cleared by tomorrow for easy access to the court and to ensure right to free movement. Attorney General, PTI and PAT’s counsels and registrar of Supreme Court must review the case and submit a report by tomorrow. The case hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.
Earlier, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had ordered Pakistan Awami Tehreek and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to clear the Constitution Avenue. During the hearing of the case, both PAT and PTI were ordered to clear the Constitution Avenue where the sit-in protest is going on in front of the apex court. According to the Supreme Court, the streets are for public and nobody has the right to occupy them. The Supreme Court claimed that the protestors are violating the basic rights of the citizens ensuring freedom of movement and right of assembly as laid out in article 15 and 16 of the Constitution of Pakistan. The protestors are sitting in front of the Parliament House and the Supreme Court building for almost a week causing extreme difficulties for the lawyers because of the closure of Constitution Avenue. CJ Nasir ul Mulk said that the Supreme Court judges were taking an alternate route to the reach the SC premises and the attendance of employees was very low due to the political turmoil. Moreover, the court was informed about some complaints of harassment of SC employees by the protestors, he added.
Anti-government protestors belonging to Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) are still present on the Constitution Avenue despite Supreme Court’s order to clear the area. However, participants of ‘Azadi March’ and ‘Inqilab March’ have vacated one lane for judges’ easy access to the apex court. On Monday, Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk ordered the protestors clear the Constitution Avenue. He passed this order while hearing a petition against the extra-constitutional moves. Imran Khan’s PTI and Tahirul Qadri’s PAT have staged sit-in in Islamabad’s Red Zone, which houses embassies, Supreme Court, parliament, diplomatic posts, residence of the prime minister and the president and other government offices.
