PDM announces protest in front of SC on Monday

If someone tries to stop us, we will reply back with clubs, slaps and punches if needed, warns Fazlur Rehman

Shortly after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan interim bail for two weeks in the Al-Qadir Trust case, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Friday announced that it will stage a protest demonstration in front of the Supreme Court over its "unjust behaviour".

"We have decided that we will protest against this behaviour. As someone who is representing the PDM, I appeal to the entire nation to reach Islamabad on Monday. We will stage a sit-in and protest in huge numbers," he said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

Fazl, who is also the Amir of JUI-F, said that every worker of his party will participate in the protest and no one will stay at home.

Read more: Court grants Imran two weeks interim bail in Al-Qadir Trust case

"If someone tried to stop us, we will reply back with clubs, slaps and punches if needed," he warned.

Fazl said that instead of making efforts to eliminate the crime, the courts were instead giving protection to the culprits, adding that the top court gave protection to a person who was involved in embezzlement worth Rs60 billion.

"Did Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz or Faryal Talpur receive such relief? There are hooligans everywhere in the entire country and terrorists are roaming around and courts are giving them protection," he said.

He said that the "terrorists" were attacking Corp Commanders' residences and attacking and humiliating army installations. "Supreme Court is the mother of law, and not mother-in-law… how much they want to deviate from Constitution," he questioned.

Addressing Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, Fazl said that we will not accept the decision of three judges and only the judgement of four judges was acceptable.

He said that terrorist was a small word for Imran Khan as what he had done comes under sedition and rebellion. "If Taliban does this it is rebellion but when this party does it is okay? We will not accept it," he concluded.

Also read: Imran’s ‘unlawful’ arrest overturned

The announcement comes a day after the top court came to the rescue of Imran Khan as it declared his arrest by the country's top graft-buster from the premises of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) illegal and directed immediate release of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief.

Dozens of troops of paramilitary Rangers on Tuesday broke into an office of the IHC and whisked Imran Khan away in an armoured vehicle in a whirlwind raid while executing the arrest warrant issued against the former premier by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

While violent protests erupted across the country after the development—protests that involved attacks on security personnel and arson of military and civil properties, the PTI on Wednesday approached the Supreme Court against Imran’s arrest.

In a three-page written order, the SC bench noted that the manner of execution of the arrest warrant – issued by the NAB chairman on May 1 in the Al-Qadir Trust case – within the premises of the Islamabad High Court against the petitioner is invalid and unlawful.