Faizabad Sit-in
ISLAMABAD: The federal government submitted a request to the Supreme Court for the withdrawal of its appeal against the Faizabad sit-in verdict.
This move comes as the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Qazi Faez Isa, is heading a three-member bench to review petitions challenging the top court’s 2019 ruling.
Mansoor Usman Awan, the Attorney General for Pakistan, said that the federal government, acting through the Ministry of Defence, has decided to retract its petition.
The SC bench, led by CJP Isa and comprising Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Aminuddin Khan, will consider the petitions contesting the verdict on the 2017 Faizabad sit-in.
Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) organized the sit-in against the then Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government.
Earlier, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority and the Intelligence Bureau (IB) also submitted similar requests. Both expressed their intent to withdraw their petitions related to the Faizabad sit-in verdict.
Last week, the Supreme Court announced that it would reexamine the Faizabad sit-in case on September 28 (today). These review petitions were filed by various parties, including the Ministry of Defence, the IB, the PTI, Pemra, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami Muslim League leader Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, and Ejazul Haq.
Sheikh Rasheed’s legal representative has also requested a postponement of today’s hearing. He said that his client is under arrested and cannot be reached.
The legal saga surrounding the Faizabad sit-in began on April 15, 2019, when the then-federal government, along with entities such as the Defence Ministry, Intelligence Bureau, PTI government, Awami Muslim League (AML) leader Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), among others, filed review petitions challenging the Supreme Court’s judgment regarding the Faizabad sit-in case.
On February 6, 2019, a two-member bench of the Supreme Court, including the current CJP Isa and Justice Mushir Alam, recommended strict action against those issuing edicts or ‘fatwas’ to harm others or endanger their lives, emphasizing the need to prosecute them under relevant laws.
The bench also emphasized that intelligence agencies should not exceed their prescribed mandates. Subsequently, the bench closed a suo moto case related to the 2017 Faizabad sit-in organized by the TLP.
