Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday joined the ruling coalition's sit-in outside the Supreme Court here to protest against some of the recent rulings of the judiciary which they said provided blanket relief to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a number of cases.

Earlier, demonstrators, belonging to the PML-N, the JUI-F and the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), entered the Red Zone despite Section 144 still being enforced in the federal capital and set up a stage in front of the Supreme Court.

Fazlur Rehman, also the chief of PDM — a ruling alliance of 13 political parties, had on Friday announced the protest outside the Supreme Court against the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Umar Ata Bandial, for facilitating Khan.

It was believed that demonstrators would leave the venue after a token protest but the JUI-F, which is one of the largest components of the PDM, converted the protest into a "sit-in".

“The management committee has finalised arrangements for the protest-sit-in outside the Supreme Court [in] Islamabad. The management committee has begun arrangements for converting the protest into a sit-in,” the JUI-F tweeted.

The party also said it would set up tents and build washrooms at the venue.

The protesters demanded the resignation of the chief justice over ordering the release of 70-year-old Khan and chanted slogans against Bandial.

Imran hearing

Khan on Monday appeared before the Lahore High Court, which fixed his bail hearing on Tuesday in terrorism cases.

He urged all citizens to be ready for peaceful protests, citing that it would be the end of Pakistan’s dream once the Supreme Court was destroyed.