ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Sunday requested that Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), change the location of his planned sit-in protest from outside the Supreme Court to D-Chowk in the capital city. The PDM is a coalition of 13 opposition parties that have come together to challenge the ruling party in Pakistan. Fazl, who is also the head of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), had previously announced his intention to hold a peaceful sit-in outside the apex court on Monday to protest against Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial. Fazl accuses CJP Bandial of “facilitating” Imran Khan.
However, in a surprising turn of events, the Federal Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar met with Fazl and urged him not to hold the sit-in outside the Supreme Court. Instead, they asked him to relocate the protest to D-Chowk to prevent further tension in the country. Dar cited the recent violent protests triggered by Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9, which led to the death of at least 10 people and injuries to dozens more.
The protests were sparked after the Rangers personnel arrested Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court in the Al-Qadir Trust case, acting on a National Accountability Bureau’s warrant. The internet services across the country have been suspended for more than five days as a result of the protests.
The federal government’s request to change the venue of the sit-in comes after the PDM’s recent meeting attended by the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif from London via video link. The PDM has been staging protests against the government since last year, calling for Prime Minister Imran Khan’s resignation over allegations of rigging in the 2018 elections.
The situation in Pakistan remains tense, and the army has warned that May 9 will go down in history as a “dark chapter” after the recent violent protests. The government is urging all parties to act responsibly and to avoid any actions that could further destabilize the country.
