“A sit-in will begin in front of the Supreme Court from Monday,” Fazlur Rehman told the media on Friday, after a meeting of PDM parties on Friday in Islamabad. Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz joined the meeting via video link and Akhtar Mengal, Akram Durrani and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi stood alongside Fazal as he made the announcement.

“We will tell the Supreme Court that it is the mother of the law, not mother-in-law,” Fazal said, adding that the SC was issuing orders beyond the scope of law and constitution.

“The judges are men made of flesh like us, not heavenly beings,” Fazl said, “they should go beyond the constitution to an extent that they do not even consider the parliament to be supreme.”

Fazal said that the PDM had decided to protest against the SC’s attitude and appealed to the ‘entire nation’ to make their way to Islamabad on Monday. However, he clarified that it would be a PDM protest, not a government protest.

“I want to tell my workers, leave whatever you are doing and make your way to Islamabad,” Fazal said. “If someone stops us, we will answer with slaps, sticks, and stones.” He added that if there was chaos, it would mean people from PTI had infiltrated their ranks and would be dealt with immediately.

He said that by giving ‘facilities’ to Imran Khan, the court had given protection against corruption and encouragement to those who were involved in it.

“Was such relief extended to three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif?” Fazal asked.

He said that Imran was being given VVIP protocol, while ghunda-gardi persisted throughout the country. Fazal said that relief given by the Supreme Court to Imran was akin to giving ‘protection’ to terrorism.

Fazal said that the GHQ, houses of corp commanders, and even monuments to the army’s martyrs had been attacked in the protests after Imran’s arrests.

Fazal also said that disqualifying an elected representative was ‘the easier thing to do’ and said that the PDM rejects the 3-2 decision given by the court to hold elections in Punjab on May 14.

Protest proposed by Nawaz: reports

Inside reports of the PDM meeting revealed that the suggestion for the protest was given by Nawaz Sharif who was participating in the meeting via video link from London.

However, PMLN’s Shahid Khaqan Abbasi opposed the idea, reports said. Abbasi said that a protest while being in government was ‘pointless’.

Reports said that Maryam Nawaz proposed that Maulana Fazlur Rehman should lead the protest since he was not directly part of the government, to which Maulana agreed.

Maulana Fazlur Rehman reportedly expressed a fear of clashes in the protest but the meeting decided to go ahead with the protest on Nawaz Sharif’s insistence. The meeting did agree that the protest should be completely peaceful.

However, what was announced by Maulana as a sit-in is likely to be a single-day protest. The protest will begin at 11 am and speeches will take place after zuhr prayers following which the protest will end.