Faizabad sit-in: SC adjourns review hearing till Nov 1

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday adjourned hearing petitions seeking a review of its 2019 verdict on the Faizabad sit-in, till November 1, ARY News reported. 

The review petitions in the case were filed by the Ministry of Defence, the Intelligence Bureau, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed and Ejazul Haq.

From the petitioners, the Intelligence Bureau, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), Government of Pakistan, and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf have moved fresh pleas for withdrawal of the review.

A three-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aminuddin Khan took up the pleas challenging the verdict on the Faizabad sit-in staged by the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in 2017 against the then Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.

Hearing

At the outset of the hearing, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar said his client wanted to withdraw the review petition.

Despite being asked thrice, Ali Zafar said in light of directions from his client, we do not want to proceed with the review.

CJP Justice Qazi Faez Isa remarked that after the verdict in 2019, objections were raised to the verdict.

Now we are here to take up the review pleas, everyone is seeking withdrawal, the top judge remarked and added to avoid ‘harming’ institutions.

Faizabad sit-in paralysed the whole country, but now no one is ready to proceed with the review, the CJP said.

Everyone is accountable including me, the top judge said.

AGP Awan also informed the court that the federal government wished to withdraw its review petition. Upon the CJP inquiring if there was a reason to do so, the AGP responded, “There is no specific reason. We only want to withdraw the review petition. The federal government does not want to defend the case.”

The top judge observed that the court would keep the Pemra’s petition pending, adding, “So that no one says tomorrow that we were not heard.”

“Everyone is quiet here and on the TV, they will say ‘We were not heard’,” he quipped.

Sheikh Rasheed’s lawyer said they want to continue to proceed with the review plea.

Later the hearing was adjourned until November 1.

Faizabad verdict

On February 6, 2019, the Supreme Court (SC) ordered action against extremist elements in the written verdict issued for the suo-moto case pertaining to Tehreek-e-Labbaik’s (TLP) 2017 Faizabad sit-in.

The Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) held a weeks-long protest at Islamabad’s Faizabad Interchange in November 2017 against a little change in the oath lawmakers take. The court had taken suo motu notice soon after the protests.

The National Assembly had passed an amendment to the Finality of Prophet-hood (Khatm-e-Nabuwwat) oath for electoral candidates, drawing protests from religious groups in the country. The government had withdrawn the amendment that had stirred the hornet’s nest among many.