ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court Thursday restrained the administration from creating any blockage for lawyers and journalists while entering the Judicial Complex.
A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb issued these directions after hearing the petition moved by three lawyers, including Khalid Mehmood Khan Advocate, Kalsoom Akhtar Advocate, and Miraj Tareen Advocate.
They filed the petition through their counsel Shaista Tabussam Khan and cited Secretary Ministry of Interior, Chief Commissioner Islamabad, Deputy Commissioner Islamabad, Inspector General of police Islamabad, Senior Superintendant of police Islamabad, Director General Rangers, Registrar National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) as respondents.
They stated that nowadays proceedings of NAB Court Islamabad against the former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, his family members and Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar are being continued at the Federal Judicial Complex Sector G-11 Islamabad.
They added that the Judicial Complex Islamabad comprised the NAB court, Custom court, CNS court, Special court, Environment Tribunal, Insurance Tribunal, DRAP court, Islamabad Bar Council and many other institutions which are directly or indirectly connected with the lawyers.
They adopted that the petitioners being lawyers and the other lawyers of the country have their constitutional right to appear before any court of law without any restriction but it is very strange that the respondents use their influence to restrain the lawyers’ community to appear before the courts of law.
“It is a very alarming situation in the Capital Territory Islamabad which is increasing day by day that lawyers are being insulted on the premises of courts and their entry into the courts is banned illegally and unlawfully and all such unlawful activities are governed by the respondents,” said the petitioners.
They continued that on 02-10-2017, when the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was appearing before the NAB court at the Judicial Complex Islamabad, the respondents illegally and unlawfully restrained the petitioner as well as other lawyers to enter into the Judicial Complex Islamabad which infringed the professional as well as basic rights of the petitioner and other lawyers.
They added that due to such immoral, unlawful and forcible activities by the respondents, the lawyers of Islamabad are suffering and facing many problems which are directly affecting the profession of law and the relationship of lawyers with the institutions of Capital Territory Islamabad.
They contended that print as well electronic media highlighted these unlawful and forcible activities of respondents every day but these illegal activities are increasing against the lawyers’ community.
Therefore, they prayed to the court to issue directions to respondents not to create any blockage for the lawyers when they appear before the Judicial Complex Islamabad or any other court of law situated in Islamabad which is the constitutional right of every lawyer and cannot be infringed in the name of security or any other reason.
They further requested that the respondents may also restrain from harassing the lawyers in any manner whatsoever which is illegal and unlawful and cannot be justified in the eye of law.