ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan Saturday issued notices to all the major political parties on a petition filed by the country’s top lawyers’ body, asking the court to intervene and restrain political parties from holding public gatherings in the federal capital before the voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The court on Saturday issued notices to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) as parties in the case and directed them to assist the court through their lawyers.
A two-member special bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Muneeb Akhtar heard the petition filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan (SCBAP).
SCBAP President Ahsan Bhoon Thursday filed the petition regarding restraining political parties from holding public meetings in Islamabad.
During the course of proceedings, the chief justice remarked that the petition had a political context but the court would consider it in accordance with the constitution. He said that according to the news reports, it seemed that the government was also reaching out to the apex court regarding Article 63(A) of the Constitution.
He clarified that the court had not taken suo-motu notice as it was hearing a petition. The court was concerned about law and order, he added. He said that the Sindh House incident was against the constitutional right to freedom of expression.
The Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) said that the incident occurred due to the presence of certain government parliamentarians at the Sindh House. He said that the people had a right to protest but in a peaceful manner. Later, the court directed the Islamabad Police Inspector General to submit a report on action taken over the incident and adjourned hearing till Monday.
It is important to mention that the ruling party PTI and the opposition parties including PML-N, PPP and JUI-F have announced power show in the federal capital ahead of the no-trust vote against PM Imran Khan.
