Agencies
In a new development in Pakistan, supporters of PML (N), the country's mainstream political party, and others raised slogans against the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) outside the Army Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Saturday night. In a video, a large number of people can be seen on the streets shouting 'ISI Murdabad' and "Yeh jo dehshat gardi hai uske piche wardi hai" (Army is behind state terrorism) slogans.
The protests took place after judge Justice Shaukat Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court alleged that ISI has been making attempts to influence judicial proceedings and general elections in the country. The ISI is the premier intelligence agency of Pakistan, operationally responsible for gathering, processing, and analysing national security information from around the world.The protestors alleged that Pakistan's general elections to be held on July 25 were fixed and rigged by the ISI. The PML (N) staged the protest against the Controls of Narcotics Substances (CNS) Court's verdict in Ephedrine smuggling case on July 21, wherein party's leader Hanif Abbasi was awarded life imprisonment. A large number of people came out in support of PML (N) and criticised the ISI.Zaffar Baloch, President of the Baloch National Movement tweeted, "Public chanting slogans death to ISI openly on the streets of Pakistan. Unprecedented outpour of frustration against Pakistan Army and its spy agency ISI in the history of this country."
On July 14, Justice Siddiqui openly lashed out at the ISI for controlling the judiciary and media. While speaking at the Rawalpindi Bar Association, he accused ISI of pressuring the Chief Justice and other judges to get favourable verdicts in different cases, including former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's corruption case.
The judge added that the security agency wanted Sharif and his daughter Maryam to remain in jail till the elections in the country, scheduled for July 25, got over. It is to be noted that the father and daughter are serving 10 and seven-year jail terms, respectively, in Adiala jail in Rawalpindi in connection with the Avenfield corruption case. |
