ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi on Monday directed a lawyer to remove the objections raised by the registrar office on his petition filed against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI)’s ‘Azadi’ march.Abdullah Tahir Advocate in his petition has challenged the PTI’s march on August 14.

When the petition was filed on August 7, the registrar office raised the objection that the petitioner had no ‘locus standi’ (right to speak) in the matter. Besides, documents with regard to the petition and the proposed march were not arranged in a proper manner.

Chief Justice Kasi observed that the court would examine the objection regarding the ‘locus standi’ during a hearing later.

But before that, the petitioner has to remove the other administrative objections by providing the relevant documents to the registrar office enabling it to fix the petition before a bench in a couple of days.

Talking to Dawn, the petitioner said the registrar office did not inform him about the objections which delayed the hearing.

Petitioner says rally should be stopped as it would violate fundamental rights

“The registrar did not examine the petition properly neither did he inform me about the objections otherwise it would have been removed on August 7,” said advocate Tahir.

He, however, expressed the hope that after removal of the objections, the court would take up the matter on August 13.

The petition contended that the ‘Azadi’ march must be stopped as it would affect the fundamental rights of the citizens, including the petitioner, and would also disturb the daily life.

Citing the interior ministry as the respondent, the petition stated that the petitioner was a citizen of Islamabad and also a lawyer.

It claimed that PTI chairman Imran Khan had accused the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and the Election Commission of Pakistan of an ‘organised rigging’ in the 2013 elections.

The PTI chief has announced publicly that he was going to stage a protest at D. Chowk on August14.

The protest sit-in would make it hard for the residents of Islamabad to carry out their routine activities. Besides, the protest would also violate the fundamental rights of the citizens of Islamabad.

It added that since Imran Khan had announced that he was going to stay in the capital for an indefinite period until his demands were fulfilled, his protest was going to affect the petitioner’s professional activities and also trades and businesses in Islamabad.

Hence it is going to infringe Article 18 of the Constitution, the petition maintained.

It said under the prevailing security situation in the country, the protest was going to put the lives of millions of people on stake.

The petition requested the court to pass directions to the interior ministry to restrain the PTI from holding the protest at D.

Chowk and provide the party some other suitable place where the fundamental rights of the citizens would not be infringed.

Traders’ plea

Two Islamabad-based traders on Monday filed separate petitions with the IHC against the ‘Azadi’ March.

Ajmal Baloch, the president of the Aabpara traders association, through his counsel Ikram Chaudhry filed the first petition.

Mr Baloch, an activist of the ruling PML-N, was an aspirant for the ticket of National Assembly’s constituency NA-48 in the May 2013 election.

Mansoor Ali Khan, a representative of the Islamabad traders association, filed the second petition against the march. The IHC single bench would take up both the petitions on Tuesday.

Published in Dawn, Aug 12th, 2014