How can we help? SC asks protesting parties

• CJP directs all SC judges to reach Islamabad; SC expected to hold full court hearing on the case

With some judges on summer vacations, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Nasirul Mulk has directed all the judges of Supreme Court (SC) to reach Islamabad as the court is expected to hold a full court hearing on the prevailing political situation in the country.

During the hearing of a plea against extra-constitutional steps and sit-ins in the heart of Islamabad, SC’s larger bench asked the protesting parties about the role they wanted the apex court to play in the ongoing crisis.

Justice Jawwad S Khwaja, visibly perturbed by the clashes, asked the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyer Ahmad Awais, “What do you think is happening on Constitution Avenue? Is this any different from any insurgency happening in FATA?”

Justice Saqib Nisar was also not happy with the unfolding events and said that his car and security escort had come under attack the previous night. However, it is not clear in which part of the capital the incident took place in.

Expressing concerns over Supreme Court’s security, the honourable judge questioned if any authority had permitted protesters to enter PTV.

“What do you want to achieve? Whom do you trust? Your senior counsel Hamid Khan has suggested taking suo motu. What is in your mind? What kind of sou motu should be taken?” he asked.

The lawyer for PTI was mostly silent. On one occasion, he attempted to tell the bench that his party does not accept the parliament as a legitimate one as it has been elected through rigging, but the court dismissed this argument. “We don’t want to go into that. Tell us what we should do,” the bench said.