Lamenting the fact that citizens were facing hardship due to the blockade, Justice Siddiqui ordered Islamabad authorities to remove the protest camps by Saturday morning ,10am, through the use of force or in a more peaceable way.
It is clear that the capital administration need not have waited for a court injunction for such action. It ought to have used its own authority to request the paramilitary Rangers and the like to quell the protest. What is perturbing about the entire issue is that protests can and have been done in a serene fashion without hindering the lives of citizens every day — and demands have been fulfilled but the Tehreek Labbaik group has opted to stay put. Their demands regrettably reek of a hate crime almost and in all honesty, elections are for all citizens to participate in, regardless of religion, caste or creed. Or at least that’s what Jinnah’s Pakistan is all about.
The court has also directed the inspector general and the chief commissioner to apprise the court of actions going to be taken today. The ‘protesters’ are calling for the sacking of Law Minister Zahid Hamid and strict action against those behind the amendment to the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat oath — which had earlier been deemed a ‘clerical error’ and subsequently rectified. Now with more demands brewing up, it is perhaps a good time to encourage the protesters to leave as soon as possible. And point these and all other protesters in the direction of Parade Ground — the designated protest venue of the capital.
It is important for the state to reinforce its writ whenever it is challenged and keep things orderly and peaceful.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 18th, 2017.
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