The apex court sought a written reply on Thursday from the PTI and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), which are currently camped outside Parliament House to lodge their separate protests against the government.
PAT chief Dr Tahirul Qadri, however, is yet to submit his party's response.
Earlier in the day, a PAT lawyer said in a preliminary statement that judicial interference in political matters is harmful.
“Instead of handling the situation themselves, the government has given the responsibility to the court,” the response read, adding that the party is protesting based on the same right under which the Lawyers Movement protested in 2009.
In his reply, Imran requested the apex court to direct the government to remove containers that are currently sealing off the capital.
The PTI chief’s counsel Hamid Khan submitted a letter stating that they were protesting on Constitutional Avenue based on their rights under Articles 4,9, 15, 16, 17 19, 25 and others of the Constitution.
The party contended that the citizens of the capital were facing difficulties due to road blockades by the government -- not because of their sit-in.
"The PTI does not intend to create any economic blockage in the country," the response read. "The call for civil disobedience is only a form of protest against a corrupt government, which is squandering the money of the taxpayers."
The response also maintained that it is PTI's constitutional right to protest wherever it wishes. "They (citizens and political parties) have the right to demonstrate in front of Parliament," the response said.
Imran also requested the Supreme Court to direct the government to lift the containers used to seal off the capital, which, he maintained, were the causing most of the obsturction.
He further ensured that his protest would remain peaceful.
“The PTI has no intention of doing any unconstitutional or extra-constitutional act,” the response read.
Further hearings of the case have been adjourned till Monday.
COMMENTS (27)
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Hello Judges,
My mandate was stolen, and current government support corruption in all police and revenue department, will you take action please against nawaz or his brother shabaz who order to killed many innocent people for one barrier or your action is only limited to weak people who wants justice. Hope law is not that blind in Pakistan.
How daring is the judge who issued warrants against both brothers-PM Nawaz Sharif and CM Shahbaz Sharif in connection with killing of PAT workers in Lahore in June. But happened later is mot lamentable. Why to court to issue any such like order if it is not being taken note of. Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Former Diplomat / Kuwiat / Mobile (00965)66229897 / zaidiformerdiplomat@hotmail.com
Hamid Khan is now on the front , Imran khan is behind him with a few hundred supporters ,On the other hand 11 political parties are standing behind Nawaz Sharif . An interesting war game is being played in islamabad . Court is known for litigation , the case is on the constintution of Pakistan itself then how it can be decieded within one or two weeks .
HOW JUDICIARY CAN TOLRATE INAPPROCIATE REMARK ON HERSELF
ITERESTING TURN Any one can take "U" turn in such situation,. Mr 'U' turn !! .
I think Imran you should end this protest and leave us the way we are. We do not deserve you. Our conscious has long been dead.
Supreme Court is too politicized to be accepted as an arbitrator in crises.
I was a PTI voter in the last elections. But its time IK stop this nuisance to the society and leave Islamabad once for all. No one is buying your charade/drama anymore. No one can unseat a govt elected by a large majority. Enough is enough.
Just an audit of four constituencies would have been enough to avoid such a crisis.
Why was it so hard for the government to accept this proposal if they have such confidence in the mandate the public has given to them?
Everybody stating that NS is an 'elected' PM is renderring their entire comment baseless.
Whatever PAT n PTI are doing, the agenda that they have declared is good, not sure about the way they are doing. May Allah bless us all.
PTI and PAT should start packing but before leaving the area must clean the mess and take garbage to their homes. Whole nation is for democracy and is behind this government. We are now bored to death because of these anarchists.
@Fahim Ahmed: The only ones who should go home are Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri. They can't win an election so they resort to fasad with a few thousand people. Tell Imran to take his container and his supporters to Mianwali and sit there all they want and Tahirul Qadri should take his container to Canada and sit in it all he wants. An elected PM of any country should never give in to a few thousand mindless protesters. It is bad for all to see such events.
@Neutral Observer It was a delight to read your thorough and astute reply. Folks like youself are always welcome to provide feedback to us based on valuable lessons from Indian democracy.
People who think that this march is small and very small number of people have come then they should switch their channels from GEO and PTV to some credible resources. Even foreign channels are showing the real amount of crowd and comparing it to tehreer square.
@ Ali
Not having political support mean to accept any oppressing government. Do you think for the sake little comfort we should accept what is happening in Pakistan.
Let the corrupt rule us and transfer the power from one corrupt to other and his sons and his grandsons
Well if we Pakistani move this way soon we will face words fate then any suffering countries across the globe.
Akram Multani
Are you joking !!!
"Economy is suffering because of this long march" or our Economy was already sabotaged by corrupt politician like Zardari , Nawaz Shariff and many like him who were enjoying funds coming from World Bank and using the funds for meeting their own (self) demands.
I am with PTI & PAT now because i am follower of them but i am with them because first time in Pakistan history some one has taken steps to eradicate the monopoly of these corrupt politicians.
Go Nawaz Go!
Whatever tactics he is using but IK is doing for the Country, and Also for the Poors. This is first time when some one stands for the poor people's of this country and the entire corrupted people are making fun of him. This is a time when we should stand with him by any way.
Go Nawaz Go! .. Go a long way! we all are with you!..
All those chanting "Go Nawaz Go!" are actually PMLN cheerleaders :)
Imran,
Being a resident of Islamabad. I feel I'm held hostage to your madness. My house is near to where your political drama is taking place. Please leave us alone and let us live in peace. You do not have the political support to become PM.
It's really amazing that Pakistanis can even think of ousting an overwhelmingly elected Prime Minister without any significant reason.
As a neutral observer (if anything, a fan of Imran Khan the cricketer) I am shocked at Imran's immaturity and, dare I say, even conceit. He is going the Aravind Kejriwal way. We in India who've been through all the democratic hoops can see through the whole charade. Eg. Members of State Assemblies in India long exhausted the tactic of submitting their resignations to their party chiefs and not assembly speakers. Isn't this what Imran's partymen have done here? Such resignations mean nothing. It's akin to an average job holder submitting his resignation to his father at home and not the manager at work.
What is disappointing is Imran who emerged as an "honest" politician hasn't blinked before adopting such sly tactics. Add to that a complete lack of direction and clarity of purpose, a party ridden with inner factionalism and you have a recipe for disaster.
Anyway, it didn't come as a complete surprise to me. I can specifically recall three other instances where I knew Imran would fail, before he even stepped into the ring.
I am personally disappointed in Imran because I thought of him as a big hope for Pakistan. But he has failed to show the character required to be a true leader.
I have followed his political reemergence closely. I must admit for me the first alarm bells rang when Imran said in an interview, something to the effect of " you can't do politics in Pakistan without electables" I knew then that he was headed for a slippery slope. Perhaps he is too naive but that decision to bring in people of "status quo" was the beginning of the end. There are no compromises with principle. You compromise once, and before you know you are lying in the heap where everyone else is. (excuse the philosophy, but it's a fact).
Second was when I heard what Musharraf had to say on Imran. (this was when Musharraf had just arrived and there were mentions of his alliance with Imran) He said that in the army one of the first things he was taught about setting a goal is to set it and "seal" it away in a box. He then drew attention to the contradictory things Imran had often been saying in the run-up to the elections. Imran on one hand had been triumphantly proclaiming "tabdeeli aa chuki hai" etc. while on the other hand accepting that "if we can't get enough votes, we will sit in the opposition." I am no Musharraf fan, but I respect him as a soldier and have no reason to question his training. I knew then that Imran won't win. I was right, although the margin of his defeat still seemed a tad cruel.
The third time was during a recent interview of his with Nasim Zehra. She kept asking him something to the effect of "okay so after you reach there, what will you do" and he could not/did not answer her, instead choosing to indicate his anger at this "audacity" of a mere journalist. Unfortunately, he tried to insinuate, I felt, that Zehra was pro-government whereas she was asking a perfectly logical question. Even if she is, and I don't have a clue, her question still did not deserve the contempt it got from him. I knew then that he didn't have a clue and that his dharna will fail. It almost has.
Now, the ONLY way for Imran to recover is by doing the following: 1. Becoming a stickler for truth and honesty and vowing to say no to any kind of "politics" and "ideas" his incompetent lieutenants poison him with. This skulduggery does not suit him. He is a bigger man. 2. Believe - and I stress on the word - that he can bring change with new, honest people. He does not need these "electables". He does not need that egomaniac Shah Mahmood who is always worried about which side of Imran should he be sitting on. And there is no lack of such "supermen" around him. I recall a cricinfo article on Imran which said he won the world cup because "he believed he could and he made Pakistan believe" or something close. I don't think he actually believes he can be the Prime Minister. I hope he reads this because he will know what I mean. 3. KPK is his only route to gaining his credibility back, which is atleast in my eyes at an all time low. He must shut everything out for the next 4 years and dedicate himself and his team (pared down) to the state. After 4 years, he will not need to call his followers "tigers" (vs lions) and belittle himself with empty chest thumping and a massive build up with proclamations of "10 lakh banda ayega" which only end up in damp squibs. 4. His supporters are his power. He should stop crying wolf. He needs to use them judiciously. A few more calls to dharnas and he will find no one behind him when he finally understands how and what he want to do.
Imran is not an intellectual. He is not even a particularly smart guy. His bravado is empty rhetoric and he lacks the ability to think a situation through calmly. He is more in the Afridi mould, Pakistanis need better. But given the choice, his honesty still probably makes him the best of the lot.
Good luck to him and to my Pakistani friends, and I apologise in advance for poking my nose in your affairs.
Go Nawaz Go. Your time is over. GAME OVER
Supreme Court should stay out of this. Do not take sides. It should not waste it's time on these frivolous legal jokes. They should be thrown out. Judiciary in this country is a laughing stock. Don't enhance it.
@Intelligent: What are you smoking these days? Haven't seen a bigger hypocrat than IK. He has all the 'qualities' that he is fighting against. Such a shame.
IK please go home, think re group and come back.... A PTI voter.
@Akram: Imran Khan is doing all this for the people and for the future of Pakistan. Instead of people suffering every day let the country suffer now. Let the economy go down. All this is being done to protect the future from the same corrupt retarded government which is elected not by people of Pakistan but by clear cheating.
PAT has submitted better reply PTI should also take bold stand and tell the Judges to mind their own business and give people of Pakistan Justice on time
Imran should set aside his ego and think for the country. Entire country is suffering due to his failed long march. Economy is suffering in billions on daily basis.
Go Nawaz Go!!!!