Protests continue in Islamabad's Constitution Avenue

Protesters Tuesday continued to occupy Islamabad's Constitution Avenue despite the Supreme Court's order to vacate the area, Dawn online reported.

The Supreme Court Monday had asked Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) parties holding sit-ins on Constitution Avenue to clear the road, after which Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar had also directed the local city administration and law enforcement agencies to implement the apex court's orders.

"The test will be when we come to the Supreme Court from the Judges Enclave through the Constitution Avenue on Tuesday," Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk heading a five-judge bench said during the hearing of petitions against the sit-ins.

But Constitution Avenue remained blocked and judges had to take the Federal Cabinet Secretariat route to reach Supreme Court.

The legal counsels of the PTI and the PAT were expected to submit their responses in court with the hearing adjourned to Wednesday.

For the past many days, judges, including the chief justice, have to take a long detour to reach the Supreme Court.

A number of cases have also been adjourned because neither the counsel nor the litigants could reach the court.

The government has submitted its response to the Supreme Court for the ongoing case against sit-ins.

The report stated that the PTI and the PAT protesters had refused to vacate Constitution Avenue.

The report added that Attorney General Salman Butt and Chief Commissioner Islamabad Jawad Paul had also offered the protesters two alternative sites to continue their sit-ins at.

The protests launched by the PTI chief Imran Khan and the PAT leader Tahir-ul-Qadri began Aug 15 over the issue of the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is accused of rigging the 2013 general elections.