Capital administration directed to file reply in sit-ins case

ISLAMABAD

ONLINE

Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed local administration to file reply in writing on who has given permission to stage sit-ins in Islamabad and responsibility rests with whom to safeguard fundamental rights of the citizens and protect the local traders and compensate their loss.

A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Athar Minullah took up Ajmal Baloch versus Dr Tahirul Qadri case for hearing Monday.

Ikram Chaudhry, counsel for the petitioner and Additional Attorney General (AAG) Tariq Mehmood Khokhar appeared in the court.

During the preliminary hearing, Justice Athar Minullah inquired from Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Maryam Khan who allowed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT) to stage protest outside Parliament and what action and steps have been taken by local administration of Islamabad for the protection of fundamental rights of the citizens.

Justice Athar Minullah remarked, “Staging protest is constitutional right of political parties. Court cannot interfere in political matters while protecting fundamental rights of citizens is responsibility of the court. All the passages leading to Supreme Court (SC) have been blocked due to sit-ins by PTI and PAT. All the avenues to parliament have also been closed. The vehicles of SC judges are not finding way to go to the court. About 50 schools have been shut in Islamabad and government has kept police as guests therein.”

“Parliament is symbol of state and all the passages leading to it stand closed. Is the local administration not alive to the entire situation? People are facing difficulties. Different problems are arising due to presence of workers of political workers in red zone. There is threat of eruption of diseases therein. CDA management has not made any arrangements therein.”

ADC Maryam Khan told the court PTA and PTI were allowed to hold sit-ins in Islamabad. Hospital management and CDA workers remain present in sit-ins to provide facilities to the people sitting therein.

Justice Athar Minullah remarked, “Local administration should allocate separate place to the political parties in connection with their protests so that 200,000 or 2,000,000 people could assemble and record their protest and fundamental rights of the citizens are not breached and passages leading to SC and parliament are not closed.

The court also summoned senior lawyers as amicus curiae. The court has also sought reply from local administration and Ministry of Interior.

The hearing of the case was adjourned till September, 2.