ML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday demanded the resignation of Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and blamed him for the “anarchy” and “crisis” in the country as she joined the ruling coalition’s sit-in outside the Supreme Court to protest some of the recent rulings which they said provided blanket relief to former prime minister Imran Khan.
Addressing a gathering of protesters outside the Supreme Court here, Maryam, the daughter of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party supremo Nawaz Sharif, accused the Supreme Court of imposing a “judicial martial law” in Pakistan.
She said that “free and fair elections are not possible until Umar Ata Bandial remains the country’s top judge” and that polls will be held at its scheduled time “after you (Bandial) step down”.
Accompanied by Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman and other leaders of the multi-party alliance, the 49-year-old PML-N leader said: “All of you should be aware that the anarchy […] and crisis that has taken over the country today, the place of its genesis was not Zaman Park as much as Umar Ata Bandial’s post.”
“Today, when the army is standing with the democracy and Constitution of Pakistan … the fifth martial law in Pakistan … judicial martial law has been imposed from this building,” she said, apparently referring to some of the rulings from the apex court. Maryam accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan of doing what “terrorists or Pakistan’s enemies could not do”.
“He and his wife stole the public’s money and then bought plots from this money,” Maryam Nawaz said, adding that Khan, 70, “trained” his “minions” at Zaman Park and set fire to the Jinnah House.