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LHC prohibits PTI from holding rally on Sunday at Minar-e-Pakistan

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  • Neither LHC nor IHC stopped execution of Khan’s warrants, court says.
  • Court also stops police’s operation at Zaman Park till tomorrow.
  • “For God’s sake, let the people live their routine lives,” court adds.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Thursday stopped the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from holding a rally this Sunday at Iqbal Park (Minar-e-Pakistan) and asked the party to let citizens live their routine lives.

The party was planning to hold a “historic” public rally at Lahore’s Minar-e-Pakistan on March 19 and PTI Chairman Imran Khan was set to lead it — despite “security threats”.

PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry had moved the high court a day earlier seeking to stop the police operation in the Zaman Park area. The police had taken action to arrest Khan in the Toshakhana case as per court orders.

After an initial hearing, the high court had ordered police to suspend the operation till 10am today — which helped calm the situation at the former prime minister’s residence which had turned into a battleground.

But today, when Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh resumed the hearing, he noted that neither the LHC nor the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had stopped the law enforcers from executing the deposed prime minister’s arrest warrants.

In the order issued later, the court said that the “order passed yesterday” shall remain enforced till the next hearing — meaning that the Zaman Park operation has been halted till tomorrow. 

PTI workers clashed for nearly 24 hours with the law enforcers trying to get through the party supporters and arrest Khan, who was voted out as the prime minister last April.

Scores of people — mostly police personnel — were injured in the process as the law enforcers fired teargas and party supporters resorted to throwing Molotov cocktails.

Legal proceedings against Khan began after he was ousted from office in a parliamentary vote early last year. Since then, he has held nationwide protest rallies demanding a snap election, during one of which he was shot and wounded.

Today’s hearing

As the hearing was underway, Justice Saleem said that he does not “find any issue” in the situation, but noted that neither of the parties involved in the case has read the law.

“All of these issues have arisen because the law was not read,” he said, adding that today, “all of us will read the law together”. He said that both sides have “jammed the system”.

Justice Saleem reprimanded the PTI counsel and said that the issue is of Khan’s warrants and the party keeps knocking on the doors of both IHC and LHC. “You are unaware of where you have to plead. We just have to follow the law in this case.”

As Fawad entered the courtroom, the judge told him that his party was not following the law. “You [people] have pushed the nation into suffering.”

At this, the PTI leader told the court that when the party chief has to appear before four courts subsequently, it becomes hard for him. “We are 100% sure about an attack on Imran Khan and that is why we had requested his presence at hearings via video link.”

The judge then said that there is a proper procedure for seeking security for a person and stressed that the party should bring “itself inside the system’s ambit”.

The judge then slammed the party for not planning its public gathering ahead of time and said that if they wanted to hold a jalsa, then the preparations should have begun 15 days prior.

“For God’s sake, let the people live their routine lives. Your rally will not take place this Sunday. Even if a person gets married, they plan ahead,” he said.

The judge then asked the party leader to sit down with authorities and sort out the issue. “We are being embarrassed as a nation,” the judge remarked, asking the PTI to once again reschedule its rally.

Punjab Advocate General Shan Gul then told the judge that IHC’s order has also been issued. The advocate general said that there is no need for this hearing.

At this, Justice Saleem said that he has not touched the arrest warrants. “Neither the Lahore High Court nor the Islamabad High Court stopped from executing the arrest warrants.”

The court then adjourned the hearing till 11am tomorrow.

Elections

Candidate supported by PTI moves SHC to notify PS-129 results

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Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman of Jamaat Islami was proclaimed the winner of the election in the Karachi constituency; however, he stated in the open that he had lost in PS-129.

The PS-129 results were not announced by the election commission.

Saif Bari, a candidate supported by the PTI, has begged the court to announce the results of the PS-129 poll.

According to Form 45, the attorney informed the court that Saif Bari, his client, had been declared the winner of the constituency.

The lawyer added that Hafiz Naeem has openly acknowledged that he lost the constituency. The attorney stated, “Until the notification of the result not being issued, we could not go to the election tribunal.”

The attorney begged the court to direct the electoral commission to notify PS-129’s victorious candidate.

The Election Commission, the Attorney General, and the Deputy Attorney General have all received notices from the court in this case, and the parties have been given until April 9 to respond.

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Pakistan

Today’s hearing is for PTI founder Qureshi’s appeals against his previous convictions.

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Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the founder of the PTI will be presenting their appeals against their conviction in the cipher case to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday.

Due to its inability to hold a hearing on Tuesday, a division bench led by Chief Justice Amir Farooq and comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb will take up the appeals.

The court has requested information from the jail administration regarding the visits of those lawyers to Adiala Jail and from the Islamabad Advocate General regarding the appointment of state attorneys.

Both Qureshi and the founder of the PTI have contested their convictions and 10-year sentences in this case.

The appellant and co-accused Qureshi were prosecuted under Sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, in conjunction with Section 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), 1860, according to the PTI founder’s attorney. The appellant, who was taken into custody on August 15, 2023, feels wronged by the judgment and punishment handed out by Abul Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain, Special Judge (Official Secrets Act, 1923), Islamabad, on January 30, 2024.

He argued that the trial court did not step in to address the appellant’s repeated concerns and that the prosecution had incorrectly documented evidence in breach of the mandatory provisions stated in the Criminal Procedure Code 1898.

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Pakistan

Fazal announces a nationwide rally schedule and a boycott of the by-elections.

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Maulana Fazlur Rehman declared via video message that the JUIF would boycott the by-elections in addition to rejecting the results of the elections held on February 8.

“We shall fight to create a true Islamic welfare state with democratic principles. Workers begin working immediately and ask Allah for assistance,” stated the JUIF leader.

He claimed that the right to vote was taken away in the 2018 elections and eliminated in the 2024 elections.

“The poll results from February 8 are rejected. We must visit individuals. We’ll gain their trust and bring them together in support of voting rights,” he declared.

Through fostering unity among the populace, we will empower them to defend their right to vote. We have made the decision to pursue our rights going forward and have a clear stance.

“People from all over Balochistan will participate in a massive public rally that will be held in Pishin on April 25. We will hold rallies,” Maulana said.

On May 2, there will be a rally in Karachi. The demonstration is expected to draw participants from throughout Sindh. He stated that KP residents will attend a rally in Peshawar on May 9 and that his party will get in touch with other political parties to create unity for the rights of the people.

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