‘A political party, albeit not directly but through banners in 13 cities across the country, has asked Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif to impose martial law and form a government of technocrats.
The banners have been put up in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Hyderabad and other cities by the little-known Move on Pakistan party.
A banner hanging at a traffic intersection on the thoroughfare between Chief Minister’s House and the Rangers headquarters in Karachi reads: Janay ki baatain hui puraani, Khuda k liye ab ajao (Talks of leaving are now old; for God’s sake now come).
Interestingly, the banners sprang up overnight on all major thoroughfares in the 13 cities, even in cantonment areas, despite the presence of several checkpoints and extra security.
Constitutional experts, however, say inviting the army chief to impose Martial Law is a serious offence which tantamounts to sabotaging Article 6 of the constitution.
Barrister Ali Zafar, president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, told Daily Times no political party or organisation could ask for army to run state affairs. Such act is a crime against the constitution, he said.
Azam Nazeer Tarrar, member of Pakistan Bar Council, said such banners are also put up outside the Lahore High Court. “If such banners mean inviting the army to impose Martial Law, it is a violation of the constitution and the person(s) responsible could be tried under Article 6.”