LAHORE: Expressing dismay over government’s handling of the Islamabad sit-in, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked for details of the incident to be presented in court.
A two-judge bench hearing a case on disturbance of public life due to the sit-in at the Faizabad interchange came down hard on the government as it reviewed the nine-page report submitted to the apex court on Wednesday on behalf of Islamabad Inspector General Police (IGP) Khalid Khattak.
During the hearing of the case, Justice Isa lambasted over silence of the Intelligence agencies and said that it is the duty of agencies to protect the state from anti-state elements. The representative of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) was unable to present reasons before the court to explain the unrest in the country.
He said: “The ISI should not forget that the poor public provide funds so that the ISI can operate.” Inquiring the case, he questioned as to why the intelligence agencies do not come forward?
The apex court observed that if the private TV channels could not talk about Islam and Pakistan then they should be shut down. “It is very unfortunate nobody is talking about Islam and Pakistan on TV,” Justice Qazi Faez Isa remarked. “We will not allow anyone to raise a finger at Pakistan and Islam.”
The deputy attorney general informed the bench that the Punjab government had sent them unsigned documents regarding the losses incurred during the sit-in. He informed that the report suggests that the losses incurred stand at Rs146 million. The bench refuted report as unauthentic.
Justice Isa said that Islam permits damaging public and private property?
Criticising the role of IB and ISI, Justice Isa questioned what the agencies are doing. Addressing the ISI representative in court, he observed that “everything is not part of a political agenda”.
