ISLAMABAD, Jan 9: The Communist Party of Pakistan filed in the Supreme Court on Wednesday a petition against Dr Tahirul Qadri’s planned long march after a similar plea was rejected by the Islamabad High Court earlier in the day.

In the petition, CPP’s central chairman Jameel Ahmad Malik said that Dr Qadri’s Tehrik-i-Minhajul Quran (TMQ) was an NGO, and not a political party, which was registered in 1981 under Section 1 of the Societies Registration Act, 1860.

On Tuesday, a similar petition was filed by Advocate Asad Mehmood, requesting the Supreme Court to restrain Dr Qadri from making the Constitution Avenue what the cleric called a `Tahrir Square’.

In his petition, Jameel Ahmed said that under Article 17 of the Constitution, any political party could hold a long march, but it prohibited an NGO to act like a political party and give a call for a long march.

He alleged that Dr Qadri was working on foreign agenda and his march was a conspiracy against democracy and elections. The apex court was requested to ask Dr Qadri to cancel his march and if he failed to abide by the order, legal action be taken against him.

PETITION DISMISSED: Earlier, IHC Chief Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman dismissed the petition filed by Shahid Orakzai, seeking a restraining order against Dr Qadri. The court observed that the petitioner did not approach the chief commissioner or the interior secretary against the long march.

“Since the petitioner can avail an alternative remedy at the level of district administration, the high court cannot hear the matter at this stage,” the judge observed while declaring the petition not maintainable.