IHC made no-go area on Maryam’s visit

Judges, lawyers, litigants face difficulties in reaching Islamabad High Court

ISLAMABAD:

About half-a-kilometer (km) area surrounding the Islamabad High Court (IHC) was converted into a no-go zone as the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz and her husband, Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar Awan appeared before the court on Tuesday.

Over 500 police personnel performed duties under a three-layer security plan. The paramilitary Rangers were also deployed inside the court’s premises.

The area of up to 500 metres of the court building remained sealed and the litigants faced extreme difficulties. All four roads leading to the high court were sealed and no unauthorised people, including the lawyers, were allowed to cross the barriers.

The Islamabad Capital Territory Administration (ICTA) had also stationed water cannons and armoured personnel carriers (APCs) along with the anti-riot police to stop the party workers from crossing the security layers.

PML-N central leaders including Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Ahsan Iqbal, Senate Opposition Leader Raja Zafarul Haq and Amir Maqam along with the convoy of party workers were stopped by the police at Srinagar Highway.

Several incidents of scuffles were reported at different spots where the party workers recorded their protest against the police and the administration’s behaviour.

Maryam Nawaz’s car was showered with rose petals by a large number of supporters on its way to the court. They chanted slogans in favour of their leader. Initially, only Senator Pervaiz Rasheed of PML-N was permitted to join his party leaders in the court. However, later, the Islamabad administration also allowed Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Ahsan Iqbal.

At the start of the proceeding, Khawaja Haris informed the court that they faced extreme difficulties in reaching the court due to hurdles erected by the administration. Justice Amir Farooq remarked that the court staff faced difficulties in the morning too. He commented that he was also shocked to see what had happened. Justice Farooq said that they would raise the issue on the administrative side too.

The lawyers also protested on being stopped from coming to the court. They expressed that how would they serve justice to litigants if they were kept away from the court.

At this, IHC Chief justice instructed Islamabad DC through Deputy Attorney General (DAG) Tayyab Shah to give access to the lawyers.

Chief Justice also issued an order stating that there would be no action against the lawyers who could not attend the hearings due to restrictions.

Bar condemns blockade 

Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) condemned the act to stop lawyers from entering high court. IHCBA President Chaudhry Haseeb chaired an emergency meeting on Tuesday in which he warned of carrying out legal action against the Islamabad administration and the police if such thing happened in the future.

He said that the administration interfered in the court’s affairs by blocking entry points without taking them in confidence.

IHCBA officials threatened to bar entry of the police and the administration in IHC if the act was repeated ever again.

Haseeb expressed that barring entry of lawyers in the court was itself a crime. Police sources told The Express Tribune that the representatives of ICTA remained absent. When the lawyers reacted to being stopped from going to court, the Islamabad police SP concerned kept calling the magistrate to get their permission to allow the lawyers to cross the barriers or use force to stop them. However they went unanswered. Later, on the intervention of the IHC chief Justice, the lawyers were allowed to access the high court.