ISLAMABAD, Feb 25: Workers and activists of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Wednesday took to main highways and streets of the twin cities where they not only staged protest and sit in but also set tyres on fire.

The protestors set tyres on fire, damaged police pickets, pelted vehicle with stones. However, the law enforcers and paramilitary forcers remained silent spectators.

In Islamabad some dozens of demonstrators gathered at Faizabad Bridge, where they uprooted the police picket, damaged barriers and set them on fire along with tires. Some persons also pelted vehicles with stones and blocked Islamabad Highway from Faizabad to Zero Point.

The traders of Abpara Market also joined the protest and closed their business. The leaders of PML-N and traders addressed the protest rally and condemned the court decision.

In Rawalpindi, a bloody clash between PPP loyalists and the angry PML-N workers was nearly averted when PML-N workers set on fyre Benazir Bhutto’s portrait and pictures.

The protesters also pelted PPP city secretariat with stones and chanted slogans against the local leaders and damaged the office of Rawal Town Municipal Administration (TMA).

The shops on Benazir Bhutto Road formerly known as Murree Road has also been made victim of political anger. The shops were recently renovated after they were burnt to ashes in the aftermath of Liaquat Bagh’s tragedy. This time the portraits of Benazir Bhutto were also thrown to the burning tyres by the angry PML-N supporters.

The Punjab police was watching the whole drama like spectators when the protesters were pelting shops, government offices and vehicles with stones besides blocking all major roads by burning tyres and chanting slogans against the apex court. The loss to the public property could have been minimized had the Punjab police intervened and resisted the small number of protesters.

Though the traders had shuttered down their shops in both city and cantonment areas, the protesters majority of them young pelted the shops with stones and targeted traffic signals and advertisement boards, forcing them to shut down their shops.

The district bar association (DBA) with General Secretary High Court Bar Association (HCBA) Malik Siddique Awan its president, termed the decision an attempt to embellish democratic forces and Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif were penalized for supporting the call of legal fraternity for independence of judiciary.

In Taxila, scores of the PML-N leaders and workers staged a protest in which they set tyres on fire at GT Road and bus stand, which suspended the traffic of inter district and city for over half an hour.

In Gujar Khan the workers and local leaders of PML-N blocked Grand Trunk Road for an hour. Besides, they chanted slogans against the PPP leadership and the governor of Punjab.

They were led by city president Khawaja Naeem Qayum and blocked the GT road and staged a sit-in. The highly charged activists were intercepted by the local police and a local worker, Ahmed Shah, was also put in the police van but the workers got him freed.

In Jhelum a group of PML-N workers staged a protest rally in civil lines area of the city, led by Boot Jawaid, district president and Shahid Rasool Dar the city president of N-League.

In Kallar Syedan, Kahuta and Daultala the workers of PML-N staged protest rallies and blocked the roads for considerable time by burning tyres. They were chanting slogans against President Asif Ali Zaradri and governor Punjab, Suleman Taseer.

In Attock the PML-N workers, leaders and youth wing activists staged peaceful protest demonstrations at Katchery and Fowarh Chowk. On the information heavy police force rushed the scene to avoid any untoward incident.

In Kashmir demonstrations and protest rallies were held across Azad Jammu and Kashmir to condemn the Supreme Court decision.

In Muzaffarabad, the lawyers stopped work in different courts of law shortly after the news was aired by different TV channels and assembled on the main road outside the district headquarters complex.

“Down with (Abdul Hameed) Dogar justice,” “We condemn the rule of jungle,” they shouted vociferously.

Workers of both factions of Muslim Conference, Nawaz Sharif Lovers Force and Peoples Muslim League (PML) also held separate demonstrations against the decision. They burnt tyres to express their wrath and indignation against the decision.

Workers of MC (Sardar Attique faction) also held a demonstration near the press club and chanted slogans against Peoples Party, particularly President Asif Zardari.

Two days ago, Sardar Attique had announced its decision to take part in the lawyers’ long march in a bid to come close to Sharif brothers who have been giving him cold shoulder for his support to military democracy. Interestingly, during his government he had also brought a resolution to welcome the candidature of Mr Zardari in the presidential elections of Pakistan. However, following his ouster from the coveted office, he launched an offensive against Mr Zardari.

MC (A) workers said they would hold protest demonstration on Friday against the decision. However, Raja Farooq Haider ridiculed the announcement of rival MC faction, saying they were shedding “crocodile tears” to gain the sympathies of Sharif brothers.

Meanwhile, the Pildat-appointed trial observers of the Sharif brothers’ eligibility cases on Wednesday said the Supreme Court short order has negated the age old maxim that “justice should not only be done but should be manifested and undoubtedly seen to have been done”.

“Whether or not justice has actually been done will be definitively determined upon review of the judgment that has yet to be rendered by the Supreme Court, but in view of the short order announced by the court on Wednesday, justice does not seem to have been done,” Pildat (Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency) said in a short statement on the verdict of the three-member bench of the Supreme Court.

The court could have averted this perception had the judges concerned agreed to voluntarily recuse (withdraw) themselves from the bench to allow the Sharif brothers an opportunity to appear in the cases personally before a bench comprising non-PCO judges, the statement said.

The Pildat had appointed Dr Tariq Hassan, Advocate Supreme Court and Babar Sattar, Advocate High Court, as trial observers to monitor and report on the fairness of the Sharif’s eligibility cases.

The observers attended the court and followed all proceedings of the case since their appointment on February 2, 2009. They had earlier issued a statement of objects to guide their observation of the Sharif case.

It said the court decided the entire eligibility matter on the merits of the case, rather than just ruling on the recusal application filed by parties in support of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif.

However, the lawyers appearing in support of Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif had repeatedly clarified that they were only arguing the recusal application and not the merits of the eligibility case. Although the court had shown forbearance and listened patiently to the lengthy arguments of both the sides, their line of questioning throughout the case reflected angst against the non-presence of the Sharif brothers.