The last quarter of last year deserves attention for one to fully appreciate the current political situation in the country. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan had backed down from a threat to paralyse the capital, although he lacked required popular support to effect the lockdown. Khan's vow to "shut down" Islamabad to press a demand for the then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign or face a corruption inquiry had sparked a citywide ban on gatherings and the arrests of hundreds of opposition activists accused of defying the ban. In a bid to resolve the crisis, the Supreme Court said it would form a judicial commission to probe allegations stemming from the "Panama Papers" leaks about the Sharif family's offshore wealth.

Khan had previously rejected Islamabad High Court's order to hold his protests on Islamabad's parade ground, vowing to paralyse the capital with a turnout of a million protesters. Khan had accused the police, judiciary and other government bodies of conspiring against him, besides claiming to have been under virtual house arrest.

That the apex court was highly concerned with the threat issued by a party that had previously held a protracted sit-in in the capital was a fact. "We have to save the country from unrest and crises," said the then Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali.

Laast month, the apex court disqualified prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who has literally taken to the streets to protest against the court verdict. He has been heaping scorn on the higher judiciary on a daily basis. He also finds Army behind his removal. He has been accused of using state machinery to lament his ouster. The apex court seems to have failed to insulate the country against unrest and crises despite its best efforts.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2017