Calling it an “undeclared martial law”, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday challenged the invoking of Article 245 in the Supreme Court.
Under the article, the army can be called in to aid the civil administration.
The PDM government invoked the article and deployed army troops in Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Islamabad.
Former prime minister Imran filed the plea through Advocate Hamid Khan, making the federation, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Nawaz Sharif, Maryam Nawaz, Asif Zardari, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman parties.
The PTI chief said the arrests, investigations and trial of civilians under the Army Act 1952 were “unconstitutional and void and of no legal effect and amounts to negation of the Constitution, rule of law and independence of the judiciary.”
He said the “dismantling of PTI through forcible quitting of party membership and office are unconstitutional and void being against Article 17 of the Constitution”. He also urged the apex court to order the formation of a judicial commission to probe the events of May 9 and 10.
He prayed the court to declare invoking of Article 245 invalid and the arrests of PTI workers should be stopped.
