Pakistan's Supreme Court refused to heed the Centre's plea to ban protesters from the Constitutional Avenue, the red zone that houses important government buildings.
In the face of strong protests reaching the government's door on Wednesday, Attorney General for Pakistan Salman Butt had requested the court to issue an order to clear the Constitutional Avenue of protesters.
However, the five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk refused to pass such an order, as reported by The Express Tribune and other Pakistani media.
"It is the government's [job] to handle the situation. You have the administrative authority, and you may proceed in accordance with the law," Mulk said.
The court, however, cited that the protests were obstructing "access to justice" and the "freedom of movement" of people, due to the marches.
The judges also objected to the language used by the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Imran Khan-led Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against the parliamentarians.
The court had summoned anti-government leaders Khan and Tarhir ul-Qadri for a hearing on Thursday.
The petition was filed by the Lahore High Court's Multan Bar Association.
Meanwhile, no one represented Qadri in the court on Thursday despite the notice to the leader of PAT.
The country's apex court has also sought a written reply from Khan's counsel over the petition that seeks to ban protesters from conducting any marches that violates fundamental rights of citizens, as reported by The Express Tribune.
Imran Khan Suspends Talks with Government
The Pakistan government engaged in talks with the PTI and PAT on Wednesday, but the meetings did not yield much to resolve the political crisis.
Thousands of protestors led by Khan and Qadri breached the red zone in the country's capital that houses the Parliament House and other important government buildings, blockading the parliament and forcing MPs to exit though a back entrance on a highly turbulent Wednesday.
While a second round of talks was expected to take place, Khan suspended any dialogue with the government.
