Islamabad dharna: Fearing crackdown, PTI goes to court seeking respite

Govt mulling over enforcing MPO in Islamabad, LHC told

LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has gone to the Lahore High Court fearing mass arrests of its workers in Punjab ahead of its November 2 Islamabad dharna plan.

PTI Lahore President Walid Iqbal submitted a petition on Thursday stating the party was struggling for establishing the rule of law in the country and for a strong functional democracy in Pakistan.

The Panama leaks, he added, had confirmed the ruling family members and dependents of the prime minister and various other Pakistanis were owners of offshore assets.



The petitioner said the PTI was raising a voice on behalf of the people against corruption of the people holding public offices. The agitation planned in Islamabad on November 2, he stated, was to create awareness among the public for accountability.

Walid claimed the government was planning to arrest innocent people, party workers and the rally participants to stop the PTI’s ‘legal and constitutional exercise’. He added he had learnt that some officials have prepared a list of political leaders and workers to be detained to sabotage the PTI’s protest.

The petitioner said the officials have also openly talked about their intentions in the media and PTI leaders and workers were being pressured by their area police to refrain from participating in the Islamabad march.

He requested the court to restrain the state from arresting or harassing the PTI workers and leaders and from creating hurdles in the way of the protesters.

Govt ‘fully prepared’

During a separate hearing, the federal government told the Lahore High Court it was prepared to deal with any situation arising out of the PTI’s dharna.

Before a full LHC bench, Additional Attorney General Naseer Ahmed Bhutta said the government would not allow any hooliganism in Islamabad and was considering the option of bringing Maintenance of Public Order into force to control the protesters.



Bhutta said the government was conscious of the emerging situation and knew well how to deal with it. Locking down a city, he added, was a cognisable offence and the government could exercise relevant laws if deemed necessary. He argued that freedom of association was subject to law.

The bench comprising Justice Shahid Hameed Dar, Justice Anwarul Haq and Justice Qasim Khan regretted the government had failed to establish its writ during similar protests in 2014. The judge observed the government could not control the situation when back then the protesters attacked government buildings.

AAG Bhutta contended the government did not want any bloodshed at that time.

Petitioner’s counsel Advocate AK Dogar earlier emphasised PTI chief Imran Khan had been involved in inciting people against the lawfully elected government and the state must establish its writ and srop the unconstitutional protest by his political party.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2016.