PDM supporters in Islamabad's Red Zone to stage sit-in outside SC

PDM supporters in Islamabad's Red Zone to stage sit-in outside SC

Islamabad (Web Desk): Supporters of ruling alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Monday reached outside the Supreme Court (SC) to protest against the judiciary allegedly favouring Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan.

Workers of ruling alliance including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and others entered the Red Zone while the PDM’s central stage has been placed in front of the SC.

On May 12, PDM announced holding the sit-in after the apex court came to the rescue of Imran Khan who was arrested from inside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on May 9 on the order of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

Addressing a press conference on Friday, PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said a protest will be held "against the behaviour of the Supreme Court".

"A big sit-in will be staged to express that the Supreme Court is the mother of law, not the mother-in-law," the PDM chief said, as he called upon the supporters to reach Islamabad for the sit-in.

Earlier on Sunday, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, speaking to newsmen, said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed him to meet the PDM chief and ask him to change the venue of the sit-in.

The minister said that administration had informed him that it will be very difficult to control the protest and that the information being received from security institutions was very alarming.

Later Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Rana Sanaullah met Fazlur Rehman twice but the JUI-F chief did not agree to change the venue of the protest.

It was decided that the final decision with regard to the venue will be taken on Monday morning.

On Sunday night, the Maulana Fazlur Rehman tweeted that a “peaceful” sit-in would be staged outside the top court.

Meanwhile, the JUI-F in a statement said that the PDM was firm in its choice of venue and rejected any chance of shifting the sit-in to any other location.