Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has filed a petition in Supreme Court (SC) asking that an ‘undeclared martial law’ be termed unconstitutional.
Imran Khan has nominated Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Asif Ali Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Caretaker Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Azam Khan and others as parties in his petition.
A passage in the petition has caught the attention of political commentators.
“The respondents intend to create a wrong impression about the armed forces which is the main objective and target of Maryam Nawaz who found it is a great opportunity to take revenge for the removal of his father from power by the establishment,” the excerpt from the petition read.
The words are being seen as an admission by Imran Khan that his arch rival, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif was removed from power as Prime Minister on the behest of the establishment.
Nawaz Sharif has long maintained that his dismissal from the post of Prime Minister and his lifetime disqualification order by the Supreme Court was done at the behest of the establishment.
Khan’s petition also read, “It is now matter of general information that the respondent Nawaz Sharif made a deal with establishment (statement of Khawaja Asif on TV) and there being a condition that the petitioner and his political party should be banned and declared a terrorist organization to pave the way for Nawaz Sharif and his daughter coming back to power.”
The petition also requests the Supreme Court to declare the detention of PTI workers under Army Act and the Official Secrets Act illegal, and to order the immediate release of the PTI workers.
Imran also asked the SC to make a judicial commission to investigate the events of May 9 when party supporters are alleged to have attacked military and civilian installations.
