Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar-Headed Three-Member Bench to Hear Case on September 10; Police Chiefs, Chief Secretaries and Senior Officials Summoned
ISLAMABAD (G.B News Daily) The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday constituted a larger bench to hear a petition challenging the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s planned protest on September 27, with the case scheduled for hearing on September 10.
The development came as PTI stepped up preparations for its September 27 protest and long march towards Islamabad, with party leaders calling on supporters across the country to join the mobilisation.
The bench comprises Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar, Justice Azam Khan and Justice Muhammad Asif. Given the sensitivity of the matter, the court had already issued a notice to the Attorney General for Pakistan.
The court also issued notices to the inspectors general of police, advocate generals and chief secretaries of all four provinces, summoning them to appear in person on September 10. The court also summoned Islamabad’s chief commissioner and deputy commissioner.
The larger bench will hear the petition and consider the matter in light of the responses from the relevant authorities.
Earlier, IHC Chief Justice Dogar was hearing a petition filed by citizen Waqas Ahmed challenging the planned protest.
The petitioner’s lawyer told the court that he was a trader who ran a business in Islamabad and would be affected if the protest was brought to the capital.
“How are you an affected party?” the chief justice asked.
The lawyer replied that the petitioner was affected because there was a plan to bring the protest into Islamabad. He referred to recent statements by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi announcing the protest and presented newspaper clippings containing his statements before the court.
“All their matters are already pending before the courts,” he said, adding that the courts were required to decide those cases in accordance with the law. He argued that if the PTI’s position was accepted, people across Pakistan whose cases were pending before the courts could also take to the streets to demand relief.
The lawyer also referred to the PTI’s previous attempt to enter Islamabad in 2024, claiming that three Rangers personnel had been killed during the protest. “If they say they are without weapons, then how did the Rangers personnel die?” he asked.
He also referred to a newspaper report which, he said, had estimated the losses caused by the previous PTI protest at Rs240 million.
The lawyer questioned why similar allegations were repeatedly made against the PTI and not other political parties. “The sole purpose is to put pressure and obtain relief,” he said.
The lawyer also told the court that he had previously filed a petition on behalf of prisoners but had not received the same relief.
He argued that although the Constitution protected the right to protest, the government could impose restrictions in accordance with the law. He subsequently read out the relevant legislation governing protests in Islamabad.
The chief justice then asked whether the protesters would be accompanied by K-P CM Afridi and government machinery.
“Yes, absolutely, they are coming with government machinery,” the lawyer replied.
He presented a letter issued by the Ministry of Interior on November 21, 2024, and alleged that government machinery had nevertheless been used during the PTI’s previous attempt to enter Islamabad. The lawyer further told the court that no application had so far been submitted to the Islamabad district magistrate in connection with the planned protest.
He said the protest was being organised in support of PTI founder Imran Khan, who is serving sentences in cases including the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case, and pointed out that two cases involving him were pending before the IHC.
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