Leave Islamabad's protest venue: Pakistan SC directs protesters

Islamabad: In the second such direction, the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday ordered the two parties leading anti-government sit-in protests to clear out of Islamabad’s Constitution Avenue area by Thursday. The two parties are seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. [caption id=“attachment_1684711” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Containers used as roadblocks to prevent protesters from entering the red zone. PTI[/caption] A five-member larger Supreme Court (SC) bench headed by Chief Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk heard petitions filed by bar associations across the country against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) sit-ins at the apex court and parliament in Islamabad, Dawn online reported. The petitions have challenged the protests as breaching the rights of the common citizen as enshrined in Articles 15 and 16 of the constitution. After making several observations, the court ordered PAT and PTI protesters to clear the way in front of parliament by Thursday. The case will next be heard on 28 August. The protesters have camped in front of Parliament House and the SC building since 19 August, making the road less accessible for the Supreme Court, Prime Minister’s Office and secretariat employees. On Tuesday, the protesters from the two parties defied the Supreme Court’s order to clear the area. The protests in Islamabad began 15 August and entered the 12th day Wednesday as PTI, PAT and the government remained deadlocked over Sharif’s resignation. The two parties accuse Sharif of rigging the 2013 general election. IANS