PTI responds: Party to figure out next move on Thursday

Peshawar High Court accepts petition filed against the inspection of Afghanistan-bound trucks.

PESHAWAR: Soon after the Peshawar High Court accepted a petition filed against the inspection of Afghanistan-bound trucks, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) provincial leadership said they reserved the right to move the apex court.

Haji Lal Muhammad, a trader, filed a petition seeking relief from the court against the blockade and checking of trucks leaving for Afghanistan by terming it as illegal. Although the petition’s acceptance gave relief to the petitioner, it also caused panic among those staging a sit-in against Nato supplies.

PTI’s provincial leadership, while considering the petition’s acceptance may influence the blockage of Nato supplies, said they honour state institutions but reserved the right to challenge it in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

“We have called a meeting of the central executive committee on Thursday (tomorrow) where we will review the petition’s background,” said PTI Provincial President Awaz Swati. “If it in any case affects our sit-in, we will obviously challenge it in the apex court.”

Swati told The Express Tribune the sit-in is being staged to block supply routes for Nato goods to foreign troops in Afghanistan and is meant to compel the US to stop their drone campaign, not to disrupt any business including Afghan Transit Trade. He added that the matter would be discussed in the meeting and a strategy will be devised.

PTI and its allies in the provincial government, including the Jamaat-e-Islami and Awami Jamhoori Ittihad Pakistan (AJIP) decided to stage a sit-in against Nato supplies to Afghanistan in the provincial capital on November 23, 2013 and since then the protesters check every truck leaving for Afghanistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26^th, 2014.