Pakistan SC takes notice of sit-in in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Supreme Court on Tuesday took notice of the sit-in by religious parties, which has virtually left the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad paralysed for over two weeks.
Taking notice of the issue, Justice Qazi Faez Isa directed the defence and interior secretaries to submit a detailed report on the situation by November 23.
“Article 14 of the Constitution allows freedom of movement to the public,” the judge said, asking the concerned authorities to explain their failure in protecting basic rights of the public.
The religious groups, led by firebrand cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi of political party Tehreek-e-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah, have been demanding the resignation of federal law minister Zahid Hamid since October after his ministry changed a clause in the Election Act regarding belief in the finality of Prophet Muhammad.
The government had called it a clerical error, and subsequently reversed the changes in the amendment but it failed to satisfy some hardline clerics, who have vowed to continue their sit in till the minister’s removal.
The government has been reluctant to take any administrative decision against the radical leaders, fearing that bloodshed would intensify pressure on the beleaguered leadership, which is facing difficulties following the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif as prime minister on July 28 in a corruption case. The top court’s intervention after the Islamabad High Court’s orders to evict the protesters has further increased pressure on the government.
The protests on the main highway entering Islamabad and the government's defensive move to enclose Islamabad's Red Zone — which houses Parliament, the presidency, Supreme Court, foreign office, embassies and other important buildings — with shipping containers, has added to the chaos.