JUDICIARY’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS IMRAN NOT A GOOD OMEN FOR CONSTITUTION: ‘Enmity’ against state intolerable

The coalition government Monday strongly condemned attacks and torture of police and Rangers on the orders of Imran Khan and said strong action would be taken against those who had violated the law. The prime minister chaired the important meeting of the allied parties, which continued at the Prime Minister House for six hours. The leaders, in a joint statement, said the police and Rangers, who came under attack, were only implementing the court orders. During the meeting, the overall economic, political and internal, external situation of the country and peace and security were reviewed in detail. The participants were briefed in detail about the economy, revival of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Programme and measures taken by the prime minister for relief to the public. The relief measures included farmers’ package, supply of free flour during Ramazan to poor families, scheme to provide special relief of Rs 50 in the price of petrol to the low wage and low income people, special CSS examination for youth across the country, promotion of solar energy, interest free and inexpensive loans for youth and rehabilitation of flood affectees and other programmes. The attendees appreciated Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for revival of the economy and the IMF programme and for providing maximum relief to the people despite difficult economic conditions and expressed complete confidence in his leadership. They said that it was matter of grave concern that violent and trained miscreants comprising persons belonging to banned organizations and carrying petrol bombs, sticks, catapults and weapons attacked officers and personnel of state institutions. This behaviour in no way was constitutional, legal, democratic and political, they said adding taking up arms against state, targeting of officers and jawans, shooting at them, burning of vehicles, besieging the court premises and rioting, throwing of police vehicles in canals and stopping and torturing policemen who were on duty was an extreme of lawlessness, which nobody or state could tolerate. The meeting expressed solidarity with officers and Jawans of state institutions and lauded their sense of duty and declared that no leniency would be shown and strict action according to law would be taken against those elements who broke the law. “This is enmity against state which cannot be tolerated,” they said. It was stated that the whole nation saw that PTI was not a political party but was a gang of militants trained by banned organizations and all evidence and proofs were available about it, so it was decided that action would be taken according to the law. The leaders decided to call a joint session of the Parliament on Wednesday, March 22. During the joint sitting important decisions would be taken to ensure writ of the state. The participants severely condemned the campaign on social media and outside the country against institutions of the country especially against the army chief. They said that Pakistanis living abroad should not become part of this nefarious agenda. The elements who ran a dirty campaign against the martyrs of Lasbela, were sitting abroad and were running a condemnable campaign on social media and by holding demonstrations in different parts of the country. The coalition government decided to take strong action against all these elements and declared that such behavior was not acceptable in any society and it was not freedom of expression. The meeting observed that the attitude of the system of justice with Imran Khan and his associates was further deepening the impression that the two scales were not equal which was not a good omen for constitution, law and principles of justice and two standards of justice in the country were not acceptable. The meeting also concurred to take strict action according to law against those who attacked the judicial complex, injured police officers and personnel, damaged property and resorted to violence, burning and besieging. They also expressed concern at the audio leak of the conversation between former chief justice Sadiq Nisar and PTI lawyer Khawaja Tariq Raheem and condemned the loose talk against Maryam Nawaz Sharif. They said that all sections of the society especially women should strongly condemn his negative thinking and intolerance. The meeting was attended by leaders of the coalition government and federal ministers.