Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan reportedly wants Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman tried under Article 6 of the Constitution “for trying to topple the government” back in November last year.
According to media reports as well as some senior journalists, including Kamran Yousaf and Arshad Waheed Chaudhry, the premier wants Fazl tried under Article 6 — high treason — for the anti-government rally, dubbed by the JUI-F as ‘Azadi March’, towards Islamabad.
While the rather disappointing finale of the Azadi March came just 18 days after it was launched, and without any of Fazl’s principal demands met, reports claim that PM Imran wants the leader of the religiopolitical party tried for trying to destabilise the country by ousting his government.
Meanwhile, Twitterati are reminding Imran about his own infamous 126-day sit-in from 2014, when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had locked down Islamabad to oust the government of then PM Nawaz Sharif.
JUI-F’S AZADI MARCH:
Fazl had in June 2019 announced that his party would hold a long march towards Islamabad in the month of October. Four months later, the JUI-F chief had set October 27 as the date of the Azadi march but later deferred it to October 31.
The JUI-F chief had demanded PM Imran’s resignation, blaming the premier for the country’s economic woes and other troubles. The PM, on the other hand, had said that Fazl’s march had a “special agenda”.
Initially, other opposition parties had objected to the unilateral announcement about the Azadi March, but later extended their support to Fazl when he had taken them into confidence. The government had warned the opposition that anyone who tried to take the law into their hands would be dealt with strictly.
ARTICLE 6:
Article 6 of the Constitution of Pakistan, under which former military ruler Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf has also been found guilty, states:
“Any person who abrogates or subverts or suspends or holds in abeyance, or attempts or conspires to abrogate or subvert or suspend or hold in abeyance, the Constitution by use of force or show of force or by any other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason.”
The second clause adds that any person aiding, abetting or collaborating in the acts will also be considered guilty of high treason, while clause 2A says that an act of high treason cannot be validated by any court, including the Supreme Court (SC) and a high court.
