Case against PTI: Judge smirks at ‘Go Nawaz Go’ slogan

LHC full bench reserves verdict; will announce judgment today

LAHORE: Arguments against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s popular ‘Go Nawaz Go’ slogan before the Lahore High Court full bench turned a serious case into an amusing one when the judge questioned what was wrong with the slogan.

Senior Advocate AK Dogar was arguing before the full bench, asking it to stop the PTI’s planned rally on September 30, saying the party leaders used indecent words during their speeches and shouted slogans of ‘Go Nawaz Go’ at their rallies.

However, Justice Shahid Hameed Dar, who is heading the full bench, quipped: “Mr Dogar is there anything wrong in this slogan?”

The judge’s witty remark, however, sent the lawyers and the litigants into a fit of laughter, leaving the government’s counsel embarrassed.

The bench was listening to petitions for and against the PTI rally. While the PTI had filed a petition for directions to the government not to harass its activists and not block roads going to Raiwind, Advocate Dogar had requested the court to stop the PTI’s rally, which might result in clashes among the rival activists.

After hearing the arguments, the bench reserved the judgment till Thursday (today).

Advocate Ahmed Awais, PTI’s leader counsel, submitted the PTI was struggling to end corruption in Pakistan as revealed in Panama Papers. In this regard, the PTI has organised a mass rally on September 30 in Raiwind, but the PML-N activists were hurling threats, he alleged.

“Peaceful protest is the basic right of the PTI activists and no one can stop it from doing it,” he said, but added the police were arresting PTI activists to make the Raiwind rally unsuccessful.

He requested the court to take action against government functionaries, especially PML-N leaders Abid Sher Ali and Zaeem Qadri, from intimidating PTI activists.

Justice Dar, however, questioned the PTI counsel about the objections on the security arrangements and whether or not he would ensure there would be no traffic jams on September 30. He also reminded him that two patients had died because of traffic gridlocks in Lahore during the previous protest of the PTI.

At this, Advocate Awais said there would be no traffic jams if roads were not blocked with containers.

According to the constitution, Advocate Dogar said, the opposition was supposed to obey the state. The opposition cannot try to topple the elected government of the people and Imran Khan was just trying that while inciting people against the government, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 29^th, 2016.