The PTI is holding protests across different cities in a show of support and solidarity with the Supreme Court, Constitution and Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial amid the stand-off between the superior judiciary and the government.
\nPTI Chairman Imran Khan had announced today\u00eds rallies after talks with the government on elections remained inconclusive. Imran issued a renewed appeal today calling on people to venture forth from 5:30pm to 6:30pm to show their solidarity with the Constitution and the chief justice.
\nSetting out for the rally in Lahore from his Zaman Park residence, Imran called on the people to come out to support the Constitution, Supreme Court and chief justice at 5:30pm for one hour.
\n\u00ecIf the Constitution comes to an end and it will if they (the government) don\u00edt follow the Supreme Court order (which the government has already said it won\u00edt follow) then it means the Constitution has come to an end. When that happens, then it means a country\u00eds future has come to an end since the law has ended and the law of the jungle has arrived which means no future for the country or your children,\u00ee he said.
\nThe PTI\u00eds Twitter account shared footage of Imran\u00eds vehicle leading the rally in Lahore.
\nThe PTI also shared footage of the Rawalpindi rally showing large numbers of party supporters on the streets.
\nA day ago, Imran had made an impassioned appeal to the whole nation to come out of their homes on Saturday (yesterday) to give a message to the ruling coalition, \u00ecits handlers\u00ee and state institutions that no one will tolerate violation of the Constitution and defiance of the Supreme Court\u00eds order regarding holding of elections in Punjab on May 14.
\nThe former prime minister had said Pakistan was at its \u00ecmost sensitive juncture\u00ee and the whole nation needed to unite to fight against \u00ecthe mafia\u00ee to ensure that people get their fundamental rights.
\nHe announced that the PTI would hold four rallies in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad and Peshawar on Saturday evening simultaneously to express solidarity with the Constitution, Supreme Court and chief justice of Pakistan.
\nStating that he would himself lead the rally in Lahore (from Zaman Park to Lakshmi Chowk), Imran had urged people across the country to come out of their homes at 5:30pm on Saturday and gather at designated places to tell the \u00ecrulers and their handlers\u00ee that they would not be allowed to \u00ecflout the Constitution and usurp citizens\u00ed fundamental rights\u00ee.
\nA day ago, CJP Bandial said the Supreme Court would not \u00ebsit idle\u00ed on its order on holding elections in Punjab on May 14 if the talks between the government and the PTI failed. He had also said an \u00ecappropriate\u00ee order would be issued.
\nHe passed these remarks as the top court resumed hearing a petition pertaining to one-day elections following three-day negotiations between the federal coalition and the opposition to agree on a specific date for nationwide polls.
\nAfter the negotiations came to an end on Tuesday, the PTI submitted a report to the court stating that no resolution was reached and requested that the court enforce its April 4 order regarding elections in Punjab.
\nIn the last hearing on April 27, the three-member Supreme Court bench comprising CJP Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar \u00f3 also made it clear to the negotiating parties that its April 4 order on Punjab Assembly elections had remained unchanged.
\nLast month, the Supreme Court \u00f3 while hearing a PTI petition \u00f3 had directed the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold general elections to the Punjab Assembly on May 14. However, the government had rejected the apex court\u00eds orders.
\nAfter repeated back and forth last week, the Supreme Court on April 20 afforded temporary respite to the country\u00eds main political parties, giving them time till April 26 to develop a consensus on the date for elections to the provincial and national assemblies, so they could be held simultaneously across the country.
\nHowever, on April 26, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated that simultaneous elections will take place in Octo\u00a8ber or November after the current National Asse\u00a8mbly completed its term on August 13, whereas parliament will have the final say regarding the initiation of talks with the opposition.
\nThe government wanted to talk to the PTI, he had said, adding that there was an overwhelming opinion that the doors of dialogue should not be closed, but its format was yet to be decided. \u00ecThe decision [regarding talks] has to be taken by parliament, not you or me,\u00ee he added.
\nSubsequently, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani had formed a committee with four members each from both the ruling coalition and the opposition for dialogue.
\nDar, former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, PML-N\u00eds Khawaja Saad Rafique, Azam Nazeer Tarar and Sardar Ayaz Sadiq along with PPP\u00eds Syed Naveed Qamar represented the government in the negotiations. Muttahida Qaumi Movement\u00eds Kishwar Zehra and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid\u00eds Tariq Bashir Cheema were also included in the government\u00eds negotiating team.
\nMeanwhile, the opposition delegation consisted of the party\u00eds Vice Chairman Qureshi, Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry, and Senator Ali Zafar.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The PTI is holding protests across different cities in a show of support and solidarity with the Supreme Court, Constitution and Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial amid the stand-off between the superior judiciary and the government. PTI Chairman Imran Khan had announced today\u00eds rallies after talks with the government on elections remained inconclusive. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":253312,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3629],"class_list":{"0":"post-329718","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-justice-umar-ata-bandial"},"yoast_head":"\n