- PTI coming more prepared than previous protest marches: PTI.
- KP AG request for two-day adjournment rejected by court.
- IGs of Punjab, Sindh, Motorway and KP appear before IHC.
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday heard a petition seeking to stop Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned September 27 long march, with Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan backing the plea and warning that Islamabad police lacked sufficient numbers to deal with what he called an “inflammatory group”.
The opposition party has announced nationwide protests and a long march towards Islamabad on September 27 to demand the release of jailed party founder Imran Khan.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar, comprising Justice Azam Khan and Justice Muhammad Asif, conducted the hearing. The IGs of Punjab, Sindh and Motorway police, along with Additional IG KP Abbas Ahsan, appeared before the court.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Dogar cautioned that if red lines were crossed under the guise of fundamental rights, the court would have to take a decision.
AGP Awan, appearing for the Centre, told the court that intelligence indicated the Imran Khan-founded party was coming more prepared than in previous protests.
He said while no one was denying citizens’ right to peaceful protest, fundamental rights could not be used to trample upon the rights of other citizens. He cited the Faizabad sit-in as an example where the twin cities had been completely paralysed.
Awan said provincial governments must also demonstrate responsibility and could not use state machinery for political purposes.
He said past episodes had shown the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, led by PTI, had used official machinery in Islamabad, adding that federal laws applied to all provinces.
“Political objectives can also be achieved while remaining within constitutional bounds,” he said.
He said the IHC’s November 2024 order had also been disregarded, as had the Supreme Court’s May 2022 directions, and that PTI leaders had made inflammatory statements.
He said if any party was not fulfilling its responsibility, the court had the authority to issue directions, adding that IHC directions also applied to provincial executives.
Chief Justice Dogar asked whether KP chief secretary and IGP were bound by the IHC’s 2024 order, and whether that order had been challenged or had attained finality. He also questioned whether police were not responsible for maintaining law and order.
Meanwhile, the Advocate General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa requested two days to prepare and questioned why PTI’s long march was being treated as an attack.
The court rejected the request and adjourned the hearing until tomorrow (Friday).
The development came after KP CM Afridi recently led the party’s five-day mobilisation campaign across Sindh to build support for its demands, including the release of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan and his immediate medical treatment.
Ex-PM Imran, 73, has been in prison since August 2023 following convictions he and his party have described as politically motivated.
Since his ouster in April 2022, he has faced multiple cases, while some convictions were suspended or overturned and several appeals remained pending.
