‘Stay out of politics’ Pakistan court tells powerful military

ISLAMABAD, (Reuters) - Pakistan’s top court yesterday warned the military and intelligence agencies they must not exceed their mandate and meddle in politics, an apparent rebuke over their handling of Islamist protests in 2017.

The judges’ comments were a rare public ticking off for the powerful armed forces, which have ruled for nearly half of Pakistan’s history and have in recent years been criticised for resuming a more active role in politics. The army denies interfering.

The Supreme Court was investigating the so-called “Faizabad protest”, which saw a hardline Islamist group paralyse the capital Islamabad accusing a minister of blasphemy.

But the inquiry also looked at the role of security agencies, including ending the standoff through mediation.

Seven people were killed and nearly 200 wounded when police initially tried but failed to remove protesters.

The military is widely seen to have disagreed with civilian authorities over how to handle the protests. The unrest had weakened the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government, which had fallen out with the armed forces.

The army’s role came under criticism after video footage shared on social media showed a senior officer from the military-run Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency giving cash to Islamist protesters after a deal was struck to end the blockade.