LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Punjab government and the district administration on a petition challenging the imposition of Section 144 in the province.

Justice Ahmed Nadeem Arshad heard the petition filed through Advocate Azhar Siddique, challenging the repeated enforcement of Section 144 of CrPC, which restricts public assembly.

The lawyer argued that Section 144 was being imposed repeatedly by the government to control political rivals. He said with the enforcement of Section 144, access to motorways and the internet had also been restricted in the name of maintenance work.

The lawyer pointed out that despite court orders, the government failed to disclose how many cases had been registered under Section 144. He asked the court to nullify the notification enforcing Section 144.

The judge directed a law officer to submit replies on behalf of the respondents by the next hearing.

Published in Dawn, November 27th, 2024