Daily Times

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Friday issued notices to JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and others, seeking their response to a petition against the party’s sit-ins across country.

Justice Ikramullah and Justice Waqar Ahmad, while hearing the case, reminded the JUI-F that it has assured the judiciary of peaceful conduct. The court remarked that the party should keep its conduct accordingly.

The petitioner contended that blocking roads is a violation of citizens’ basic and constitutional rights.

The court will resume the hearing on November 28.

Meanwhile, addressing the participants of a sit-in in Nowshera, Fazl said the party will remove the ruling regime with the power of the masses. “We want to dislodge the government in a peaceful manner,” he said. “We are tribal people and have demonstrated our power from Karachi to Chitral,” he said, adding that the entire country has been blocked within 24 hours of the party’s call. “It has proved today that we have the capacity to block entire Pakistan,” he said. “Punjab, Dera Ismael Khan, the gateway to Afghanistan, the Karakoram Highway and Islamabad are also closed,” he added.

Fazl says JUI-F has capacity to block entire Pakistan

Thousands of JUI-F protesters on Friday continued to block major highways across the country as part of the party’s ‘Plan B’. Traffic flow remained affected in several parts of the country.

In Karachi, protest at Hub River Road created issues for commuters leading them to use alternative routes. According to JUI-F’s provincial spokesperson Sami Swati, the party continued the protest with the party’s workers and leaders offering the Friday prayer at the venue of the sit-in.

JUI-F’s Balochistan chapter on Friday announced they will block the main highway and roads in the province from November 15 to 18. While opposition parties have announced to support JUI-F’s ‘Plan B’ in Balochistan, Chief Minister Jam Kamal said his government will not allow the demonstrators to block highways.

Similarly, protests in Malakand and Islamabad have also been going on since Thursday.