ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday reserved its verdict on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) petition seeking permission for a protest in Islamabad as the capital authorities have prohibited the party from staging the protest.
IHC Justice Saman Rifat presided over the hearing on the petition filed by PTI leader Amir Mughal after the administration’s refusal to allow the party to hold its event on July 26.
The state counsel informed the court that the federal capital’s administration had declined requests of all political parties to hold protest rallies, in view of the security situation.
Advocate General Islamabad Ayaz Shaukat said that Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has announced holding a sit-in at D-Chowk, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has called a protest rally, and the PTI is also asking permission for a protest at Press Club.
“However, no one was given the permission. Islamabad has been shut down,” he said.
Presenting his arguments, the petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Shoaib Shaheen, asked the court to grant his party permission to hold their protest at the F-9 Park.
The lawyer said that when the IHC had asked the administration to give permission to the PTI to hold a rally on Monday, the advocate general had said that they could not issue a permit if JI’s sit-in was prolonged.
Following the arguments, Justice Riffat told the advocate general that he shouldn’t present himself as “helpless” as he was representing the government.
“We have so many neighbours, who are our enemies. What impression [will your statements] give to them?” she asked.
In response, Shaukat said the government would deal with enemies. “It is tough to deal with your people.”
The judge then told the advocate general that either he should give permission to the PTI or she would write in the order that the government was helpless as it could not control the situation.
Sticking to his stance, the advocate general said the court could order whatever it wanted, but the administration could not allow the protest to be staged.
