Faizabad sit-in case SC issues written verdict of Sep 28 hearing

Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) issued a detailed four-page written order inviting all the concerned parties to clarify their positions in the Faizabad sit-in case, ARY News reported on Monday.

Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa of the Supreme Court of Pakistan issued a detailed written order consisting of four pages in the Faizabad sit-in case.

The written order – which is issued on the hearing of September 28 – not only addressed the pending issues but also offered both parties involved an opportunity to present further evidence and clarification.

During the hearing, the court raised several key points including why the case was not scheduled for hearing despite delaying for four years.

Furthermore, the court questioned about the reasons for filing and withdrawal of reconsideration plea by the authorities.

The written order further questioned why was the court’s decision is not yet followed after the span of four years in the Faizabad sit-in case.

According to the court order, the SC gave both parties another chance to address these questions before the court to clarify their positions.

Ministry of Defence, PEMRA, and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) requested to reconsider their request for the review. However, the Attorney General expressed that the Ministry of Defence did not intend to pursue further action on its plea. Similarly, the IB, and PEMRA also sought to withdraw their petition.

The court considered these viewpoints of general public and noted that paragraph 17 of the Faizabad sit-in case ruling was particularly causing confusion to the general public.

The Attorney General argued that the Faizabad sit-in case should not be expanded beyond its initial scope and timeframe.

Meanwhile, the court set a deadline of October 27, 2023 for the concerned parties to submit their responses, while the Supreme Court scheduled the next hearing in the Faizabad sit-in case for November 1, 2023.

About Faizabad Sit-in:

Back in November 08, 2017, Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) organized a sit-in at Faizabad interchange against the amendments in the Election Bill 2017, changing the word oath to declaration.

The protesters demanded the resignation of Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid to “protect the identity of the country”.

The protestors achieved their objective as the Pakistani law minister Zahid Hamid stepped down from his position on November 27, 2017 culminating in an end to the protests that continued for 20 days without harm.

Despite of all the warnings given out by various religious groups about the sensitivity of the matter, because of the violence and the disturbance caused by the protesters the Pakistani government was forced to use the power against the protestors.