IHC seeks swift decision on PTI’s rally plea

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Islamabad to decide on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) plea to hold a rally in the federal capital. The court has instructed the Advocate General to inform the court if a decision is made today.

Chief Justice (CJ) Aamer Farooq presided over the hearing of a petition filed by PTI seeking permission to hold a rally in Islamabad. Advocate Shoaib Shaheen, representing Amir Mughal, argued that they had submitted an application to hold the rally, but no response had been given.

The court questioned why no action had been taken on the application in the past nine days, urging that the matter be resolved promptly, as it only required a day's work. In response, the Advocate General of Islamabad requested three days, citing that they were still awaiting a report from security agencies.

Advocate Shoaib Shaheen insisted that PTI was running out of time to prepare for the rally. The court admonished the defending party, saying that countless excuses are available if someone wants to avoid doing something. “When something needs to be done, it gets done despite numerous excuses,” said CJ Aamer Farooq.

The Advocate General attempted to clarify, stating that this is not a plea from PTI but rather an appeal from the Movement for the Protection of the Constitution of Pakistan (MPCP).

The court instructed that a decision be made on Amir Mughal’s pending plea to hold a rally in Islamabad. The court further ordered that if a decision is made today, the Advocate General must inform the court accordingly. The hearing was adjourned until Friday.