LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Thursday stopped the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from holding a rally at Iqbal Park (Minar Pakistan) on Sunday and asked the party to allow citizens to lead a normal life.
The party was planning a “historic” public rally at Minar Pakistan in Lahore on March 19 and PTI Chairman Imran Khan was to lead it despite “security threats”.
PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry had approached the High Court a day ago to stop the police operation in Zaman Park area. The police had taken action to arrest Khan in the Tosha Khana case as per court orders.
After a preliminary hearing, the high court ordered the police to suspend operations till 10 am today – helping calm the situation at the former prime minister’s residence which had turned into a battleground.
But when Justice Tariq Saleem Shaikh resumed the hearing today, he noted that neither the Lahore High Court nor the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had restrained the law enforcement agencies from executing the arrest warrant of the ousted prime minister. .
PTI workers clashed for nearly 24 hours with law enforcement agencies trying to get through party supporters and arrest Khan, who was ousted as prime minister last April. .
Several people — mostly police — were injured after law enforcement fired tear gas and party supporters threw Molotov cocktails.
The legal proceedings against Khan began after he was ousted in a parliamentary vote early last year. Since then, he has held nationwide protest rallies calling for early elections, during one of which he was shot and wounded.
Today’s hearing
As the hearing continued, Justice Salim said he “does not find any problem” in the situation, but noted that none of the parties involved in the case had read the law.
“All these problems have arisen because the law has not been read,” he said, adding that today, “we will all read the law together”. He said both sides had “jammed the system”.
Justice Saleem reprimanded the PTI lawyer and said that the matter is of Khan’s warrant and the party keeps knocking the door of both IHC and Lahore High Court. “You don’t know where to apply. We just have to follow the law in this matter.”
As soon as Fawad entered the courtroom, the judge told him that his party was not following the law. “You [people] have made the nation suffer.”
On this, the PTI leader told the court that it becomes difficult for the party chief when he has to appear in four courts later. “We are 100 percent sure about the attack on Imran Khan and that is why we requested his presence in the hearings through video link.”
The judge then said that there is a proper procedure for a person to obtain security and emphasized that the party “must bring itself within the fold of the system.”
The judge then criticized the party for not planning its public rally ahead of time and said that if they wanted to hold a rally, they should have started preparations 15 days in advance.
“For God’s sake, let people live their normal lives. You won’t have a meeting this Sunday. Even if someone gets married, they plan ahead,” he said.
The judge then asked the party leader to sit down with the authorities and resolve the issue. The judge remarked that “we are being embarrassed as a nation,” asking the PTI to reschedule its rally once again.
Punjab Advocate General Shaun Gill then told the judge that the IHC order had also been issued. Advocate General said that there is no need for this hearing.
On this, Justice Salim said that I did not touch the arrest warrant. “Neither the Lahore High Court nor the Islamabad High Court stayed the execution of the arrest warrant”.
After which the court adjourned the hearing till 11 am tomorrow.
