By Zahid Shah

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's ruling party, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), has launched a social media campaign against the Supreme Court of Pakistan after the top court admitted a petition against the ruling of the Punjab Assembly deputy speaker on Friday, local media said.

According to ARY News, an organized campaign has launched against the judges of the Supreme Court including the Chief Justice of Pakistan during the hearing of the deputy speaker ruling on Saturday.  

“The accounts linked to the campaign were members of PML-N social media team, also followed by party leader Maryam Nawaz,” the broadcaster reported.

During the campaign, total 529 Twitter accounts which are followed by Maryann Nawaz, daughter of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, have been found involved in the anti-judiciary campaign. 

On Saturday, around 11,000 messages were posted on Twitter against the judges of the Supreme Court, it’s reported. 

During the campaign, several journalists, who always support PML-N, also posted tweets and raised questions over top court hearing. 

Main opposition party of former prime minister Imran Khan’s PTI criticized the organized campaign against the judiciary and said some journalists are involved in this dirty move.. 

“Some journalists have been hired in the media cell on unofficial assignment to peddle narrative against the judges,” he said and added that such campaign from the PML-N were not new and they have previously led similar trends against former CJP Saqib Nisar,” the broadcaster quoted former information minister Fawad Chaudhry as saying.

He accused the Information Minister of PML-N government, Marriyum Aurangzeb, is behind the entire campaign. 

A Islamabad based journalist Siddiue Jan claimed that PML-N government has hired digital media agencies for the organized campaign.

“A source has told me that the PML-N government has taken the services of digital media agencies for propaganda and campaign against institutions.

 These agencies revealed in their WhatsApp group with the ministry that Ghareeda Farooqui is on board with them,” Jan claimed.

He questions, is Ghareeda Farooqui promoting unethical anti-judiciary trends while getting money? 

People on social media also demanding from the Supreme Court to take notice of the campaign and order an inquiry to find out the real culprits behind the anti-judiciary move.

On Friday, Deputy Speaker Dost Mohammad Mazari declared Hamza Shehbaz as the winner despite opposition nominee Elahi securing the majority of 186 votes while Hamza got 176 votes.

However, Mazari ruled that PML-Q members' votes will not be counted in the election of Punjab chief minister in light of party head Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain's letter.

PTI and PML-Q rejected the ruling and challenged it in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.