Pakistan Democratic Movement calls off anti-CJP sit-in outside Supreme Court

The ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Monday called off a planned sit-in against the judiciary for “facilitating” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan after a daylong “peaceful” dharna in Islamabad, according to Geo News.

PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also the leader of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), made the announcement while speaking to a large crowd outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad on Monday.

The ruling alliance of 13 political parties announced a sit-in outside the Supreme Court to protest the judiciary’s “undue facilitation” of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

Despite the fact that Section 144 remains in effect in the capital, demonstrators from various political parties, including JUI-F employees and sympathisers, converged on Islamabad, with many of them entering the Red Zone, according to Geo News.

On Friday, Maulana Fazl announced that he would stage a sit-in outside the Supreme Court to protest Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial’s assistance to Khan.

Despite the federal government’s request, the chief of the PDM, a multi-party ruling coalition, refused to change his mind and organised a protest march of thousands of workers outside the Supreme Court. The JUI-F’s leader, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, claimed that the ruling PDM wanted to restore the supreme court’s honour and dignity.

According to Geo News, he stated that the “historic gathering” in front of the Supreme Court demonstrated the importance of popular decision-making in the country. He also promised to defend the Supreme Court building, saying that no one would dare to harm it while the PDM demonstrators were present.

“We believe in respecting the judiciary. We have held a people’s court in Islamabad,” he said.
Fazl further blamed the PTI chief Imran Khan’s decision to dissolve Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa assemblies for the prevailing crisis in the country, according to Geo News.

Earlier on Sunday, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led federal government requested the PDM chief to change the venue of the protest sit-in from outside the Supreme Court to D-Chowk in Islamabad amid security concerns.