ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court (SC) in order penned by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aminuddin Khan tied unrest on May 9, coinciding with arrest of PTI leader Imran Khan, to disregard for implementing 2019 ruling on Faizabad dharna case.

Supreme Court observed that due to non-implementation of its 2019 Faizabad sit-in ruling by previous governments, nation suffered consequences in form of May 9 events.

Observations came as three-member apex court bench. This judgment, originally authored by Justice Isa prior to his tenure as Chief Justice mandated Defence Ministry and armed forces chiefs to discipline any personnel breaching their oaths.

Additionally, it directed government to monitor and prosecute individuals promoting hate, extremism and terrorism, while reprimanding government bodies for causing public inconvenience during 20-day sit-in that paralyzed life in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Various entities, including Ministry of Defence, Intelligence Bureau, PTI, Pemra, Election Commission of Pakistan, MQM, AML Chief Sheikh Rasheed and Ijazul Haq, contested this ruling with review petitions.

Despite considering contempt proceedings for ruling’s non-implementation, court deemed it inappropriate to hold current officials accountable for their predecessors’ actions, especially when efforts to adhere to court’s decision were evident.

Federal government and Election Commission of Pakistan were given specific time frames to fulfill their tasks and submit reports, with next hearing scheduled for January 22.

Published in The Daily National Courier, November, 17 2023

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