The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has asked participants of the Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) sit-ins to avoid bringing children to ward off any physical or medical threats.
The court was hearing petitions filed by the traders against the two parties’ protests. Justice Athar Minallah asked that both parties should voluntarily remove children from the site as they should not be exposed to the harmful environment at the venue.
Advocate Waqas Malik, representing PTI, argued that all the children present at the site are in the company of their parents. The judge replied saying it was irresponsible of parents to put their young ones in possible harm’s way.
The court further observed that “prima facie, the permission of the sit-in was illegal. The district magistrate was the right person to allow the protest at the Red Zone but he categorically denied giving any such permission”.
During the course of hearing, PTI lawmaker Asad Umar assured the court that he will try to keep minors away from the sit-in and will also request parents not to bring children at the venue.
The court also pointed out that the Article 16 of the Constitution claims that “every citizen shall have the right to assemble peacefully and without arms, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of public order,” adding that as per the said article, the right of assembly is not the absolute right as it entails certain restrictions to protect the rights of other citizens.
The court directed the capital police to submit a report regarding the use of force since the marchers arrived in the federal capital, explaining in detail whether they acted as per standing operating procedures or on the whims of their leaders. The court also extended the suspension of Section 144 till October 1 after which it will hear the case on a daily basis.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2014.
COMMENTS (1)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
As far I remember Justice Athar Minallah was the lawyer of ex-CJ Iftikhar Chaudry and got job because of excellent services given.
Respectable Justice tries to prove himself more responsible regarding the minors than their parents, How amazing?
According to him, public gathering is a dangerous environment. It means parents avoid to take their children with them to Haj or Umrah or even for Namaz of Eids because there is a huge public in place which create dangerous environment.
How irrelevant and mind blowing comments of Judges in the Court?