SC judge heckled by ‘PTI group’ in London

LONDON: A Supreme Court (SC) judge was heckled by some Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activists in London on Saturday when he was leaving the campus of London School of Economics (LSE) after addressing the “Future of Pakistan” conference organised by the Pakistani students.

Around a dozen PTI activists had arrived at the LSE after an appeal was made in a Whatsapp group for the activists to attend the event and ask questions from the judge. Some of those who heckled the judge are the same PTI activists who had chased Judge Humayun Dilawar at the University of Hull for convicting Imran Khan.

On Saturday evening, the judge spoke to students about the role of Constitution and the state of justice in Pakistan and also took questions. There was no disturbance inside the conference hall but the trouble started as the judge left the premises.

The PTI activists approached the judge and tried to ask him questions about Pakistani politics. When the judge refused to speak, the activists started shouting slogans, demanding the release of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan. One activist came close to touching the judge and asked him why the judiciary was lower in ranking and why justice was not being dispensed.

Organisers of the meeting escorted the judge to the car and rushed him inside the car in order for the judge to leave, right outside the London High Court. Footage showed students frantically trying to stop the judge’s car. Throughout, the PTI activists followed the judge and raised slogans.

The organisers appealed to the PTI protesters, who had attended the venue fully planned, for calm. Some of them have been regularly holding protests outside the Avenfield flats when Nawaz Sharif was in London and now outside the Pakistan High Commission.

During his address at the LSE, the judge emphasized the importance of civil supremacy and the protection of democracy, noting that Supreme Court’s involvement in supporting the derailment of democracy and the Constitution is untenable.

He said, “The absence of civil supremacy has created a persistent tension, and the Constitution has been subverted since the country has not been governed there under.”

He said “The Supreme Court was perceived to have been involved in political engineering prior to the 2018 general elections, which resulted in the formation of a weak civilian government that could not last more than three years. This period saw a particular type of constitutional crisis; governance was regarded as hybrid in character, with elected politicians and the army hierarchy working together, a fact subsequently publicly confirmed by the-then prime minister.” The judge further stated that political leaders only speak out in favor of restoring civil supremacy when they are not in power; however, when they are in office, they deliberately enable the Constitution to be violated with impunity by sacrificing civilian supremacy. The PTI’s UK chapter issued a condemnation of the incident, saying that those involved did not represent the party. “PTI UK strongly condemns the treatment meted out towards the judge. Those individuals who did it do not represent the PTI, nor does PTI UK endorse any such behaviour,” the party UK chapter’s Jahanzaib Khan said.

He said: “It has come to our attention that there are some notorious individuals who are often referred to as PTI supporters by certain journalists sympathetic to the N League in London. These journalists deliberately orchestrate situations involving these individuals to create commotion whenever any government official from Pakistan visits London. “They do this in order to capture videos and blame PTI, further spreading their negative narrative against the PTI. It is important to note that protests conducted by overseas Pakistanis and genuine PTI supporters only occur under the official call of PTI UK and its regional bodies.” One of the protesters said PTI’s official chapter had no right to speak on behalf of all the PTI activists. He said: “We politely asked the judge about the law and order situation in Pakistan and how judiciary has let down Pakistanis. We seek justice and we have the right to raise our voice.”