ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a verbal plea to take suo motu notice of the deaths that occurred during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) protest in the federal capital.
During a hearing, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Additional Advocate General (AAG) requested the court’s constitutional bench to take suo motu notice, stating, “Yesterday, there were deaths on both sides; the constitutional bench should take notice of this issue.”
Government officials reported that at least three Rangers personnel and two police officers were killed during the protest, while PTI claims that eight of its members lost their lives.
The AAG made the request while appearing via video link in a case related to the climate change authority. In response, Justice Musarrat Hilali advised against making political statements in court.
Justice Aminuddin Khan, head of the constitutional bench, clarified that the court cannot address matters that have not been formally presented before it. Similarly, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail emphasized that the bench was not inclined to comment on issues outside its jurisdiction.
The constitutional bench ultimately rejected the plea. Meanwhile, in the early hours of Wednesday, PTI announced a “temporary suspension” of its “do-or-die” protest following a midnight crackdown by law enforcement that led to the dispersal of PTI workers.
Reacting to the situation, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar criticized PTI, stating, “Such a colossal failure has become their fate.” He added that the protest had been chaotic, with no real outcome.
In a press conference at D-Chowk, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned PTI’s actions, stating, “They resorted to threats and caused billions in damages,” and questioned how many more such incidents the authorities would need to handle.
