ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined a verbal request to take suo motu notice of the deaths reported during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) protest in the federal capital.
During a hearing, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) additional advocate general (AAG) said: "Yesterday, there were deaths on both sides; the constitutional bench should take suo motu notice (of the issue)."
According to government officials, at least three Rangers and two police personnel were martyred during the protest, while PTI has claimed that eight of its members lost their lives.
The AAG made his plea during proceedings on a case related to the climate change authority, in which he participated via video link, urging the constitutional bench to address the matter.
In response, Justice Musarrat Hilali cautioned against making political statements during Supreme Court proceedings.
Head of the constitutional bench, Justice Aminuddin Khan, remarked that the court cannot address matters not presented before it.
Similarly, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail said the bench does not wish to comment on issues outside the court's purview.
The constitutional bench then rejected the verbal request made by the additional advocate general.
In the early hours of Wednesday, the Imran Khan-founded party announced a "temporary suspension" of its "do-or-die" protest following a midnight crackdown by the law enforcers, which effectively dispersed the PTI workers.
In response, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar slammed the PTI, saying: "Such a colossal failure has become their fate. This was not the final call, but merely a missed call."
Tarar went on to share his observations about the "failed" protest, noting that he had personally travelled from D-Chowk to Eleventh Avenue, witnessing a scene of chaos.
In his late-night press conference at D-Chowk, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said: "They resorted to threats and caused billions in damages."
Reflecting on the recurring nature of such incidents, he questioned: "How many more times do we need to deal with situations like this?"
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