Recently, a video clip that circulated on social media brought up the 1997 attack on the Supreme Court by the PMLN. In the clip from “The World Today,” a TV anchor reports that PMLN supporters have attacked the Supreme Court and are preventing the court hearings from continuing.
The violence began when one of Nawaz Sharif’s followers scaled the Supreme Court’s fence and forcibly stormed inside, followed by a mob of PMLN supporters.
According to the reporter in the video, the police and troops, who would never hesitate to use physical force to subdue protesters, passively watched while PMLN government supporters attacked the Supreme Court because they did not want to “anger the governing party”.
A few protesters were able to enter the Supreme Court during the uproar and proceeded to intimidate the judges against making any decisions that would not please the PMLN government.
یہ ویڈیو شریف مافیا کی پوری حقیقت بیان کرتی ہے۔ جنہیں خریدا نہیں جاسکتا انہیں مٹایا جانا ضروری ہے۔
pic.twitter.com/wJ2vUdzI8k— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 25, 2022
After Maryam Nawaz addressed a press conference earlier today in an apparent attempt to pressure the judges by harshly criticizing the judiciary, the video went viral on social media, connecting the recent events to the 1997 incident. Maryam and other PDM leaders decided to make this move just before the beginning of Supreme Court proceedings on Pervez Elahi’s petition challenging Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Mazari’s decision to call the recent re-election for the Punjab chief minister in favor of Hamza Shahbaz.
The PDM leaders sought a full bench during the press conference, taking the position that any decision in favor of the PTI would be illegal in their opinion. Just a day ago, a social media campaign defaming the Supreme Court and its judges was claimed to have been initiated by the PDM and its leaders.
Read more: Did Javed Latif threaten to protest in front of GHQ?
According to the PTI and its supporters, if the PDM leaders want to follow the law and the constitution, they should wait for the judgement and then file an appeal with the court afterwards. Many commentators view the PDM’s press conference as a clear threat to and assault on the Supreme Court’s authority and honor. But as the 1997 video footage demonstrates, this is merely history repeating itself.