اردو
  • Supreme Court takes suo motu notice of Islamabad sit-in

    Islamabad sit-in enters 16th day as talks fail to break deadlock Islamabad sit-in enters 16th day as talks fail to break deadlock

    The Supreme Court on Tuesday took suo motu notice of the sit-in that has paralysed the capital city for a fortnight.

    Justice Qazi Faez Isa took the notice of the protracted protest while hearing a case.

    The judge directed the defence and interior secretaries, the attorney general and the advocate general of Punjab to submit a report in this regard by Thursday, November 23.

    The government is under mounting pressure to end the Faizabad protest, and the Islamabad High Court on Monday initiated contempt proceedings against top officials of the Islamabad administration by issuing them show cause notices.

    The high court has given a deadline of November 23 to the government to end the sit-in.

    Daily life in the capital has been disrupted for nearly two weeks by protesters belonging to religious parties — including the Tehreek-i-Khatm-i-Nabuwwat, Tehreek-i-Labaik Ya Rasool Allah (TLY) and the Sunni Tehreek Pakistan (ST) — who are calling for the sacking of Law Minister Zahid Hamid and strict action against those behind the amendment to the Khatm-i-Nabuwwat oath in the Elections Act 2017. The amendment had earlier been deemed a 'clerical error' and has already been rectified.

    The protesters had occupied the Faizabad Bridge which connects Rawalpindi and Islamabad through the Islamabad Expressway and Murree Road, both of which are the busiest roads in the twin cities.