LHC bans rallies, protests on The Mall

Instructs provincial government to specify locations for rallies in the city so businesses are not affected.

LAHORE: As the political temperature heats up in Punjab, the Lahore High Court (LHC) imposed a permanent ban on rallies on The Mall on Wednesday.

The LHC chief justice ordered the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary and the Punjab Inspector General (IG) to ensure the implementation of court orders and also warned that action will be taken if authorities failed to implement them.

The court instructed the provincial government to specify locations for rallies in the city so businesses are not affected.

Earlier the LHC had imposed a temporary ban on rallies on The Mall. The application for the ban was registered by the traders association.

(Read: Public Assembly: Ban on Mall rallies challenged)

Earlier on Monday Tahaffuz Namoos-i-Risalat Mahaz (TNRM) activists had again violated the ban on rallies on The Mall as they marched on the main road and staged a sit-in in front of the Lahore High Court in protest at the conviction and death sentence handed to Mumtaz Qadri for the killing of Salmaan Taseer.

(Read: Qadri supporters stage Mall sit-in)

Recently Lahore witnessed two major rallies by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which included The Mall as part of the route and a means to promote the rallies through billboard and banners.

(Read: Rally ‘not too bad’ for traffic)