On Wednesday, the Supreme Court rejected a verbal request to take suo motu notice of the fatalities during the recent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) protest in Islamabad.
The plea, made by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s additional advocate general (AAG), argued that the court should intervene as casualties were reported on both sides. The federal government confirmed the deaths of three Rangers personnel and two policemen, while PTI claimed eight of its workers were killed.
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In response, Justice Musarrat Hilali warned against making political statements during court proceedings, and Justice Aminuddin Khan clarified that the court could not address an issue not formally presented. The constitutional bench subsequently rejected the plea.
Meanwhile, normalcy began returning to Islamabad following the abrupt end of the PTI protest. Key routes, including the M-4 and M-3 motorways, were reopened for traffic, and internet services resumed.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced that schools, roads, and metro bus services would soon return to operation, with schools reopening the next day. Naqvi also stated that KP Chief Minister Gandapur and Bushra Bibi were on the run after fleeing the protest site during a crackdown.
He revealed that Bushra Bibi had refused to comply with Imran Khan’s order to relocate the protest to Sangjani and insisted on moving towards D-Chowk.
