Islamabad, Jul 16 (IANS): The leadership of Move on Pakistan, a political party which is inviting the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif to take over the government, approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in order to avoid being arrested and obtain protective bail.

After Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s return from the UK, where he stayed for 48 days to recuperate after cardiac surgery, Move On Pakistan has put up banners inviting the COAS to take over the government, Dawn online reported on Saturday.

The banners were put up in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Hyderabad and other places, and while previously the party was urging the army chief to reconsider his plans to retire in November, this time the party’s message was for Raheel Sharif to take over.

The party’s Facebook page uploaded pictures of Raheel Sharif on July 11 with the caption: “General Sharif has been invited to impose Martial Law”.

However, the COAS has said that it had nothing to do with the party.

After the COAS' remark, party Chairman Mohammad Kamran and his associates Ali Raza and Asif Iqbal, said “some elements in media misconstrued” their messages and that Move On Pakistan had never supported the imposition of martial law.

On Thursday, Islamabad Police registered a case against the party on charges of criminal conspiracy.

Kamran has said through his petition that he was heading a registered party and that by placing the banners, he did not mean for any unconstitutional measures to be taken. He said he only meant to request the army chief to continue with his fight against terrorism.