ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday sought affidavits from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary and inspector general of police in a case concerning a petition against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s planned September 27 protest and long march
A larger bench headed by Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar and comprising Justice Azam Khan and Justice Muhammad Asif, directed the two provincial officials to submit their affidavits by Monday (September 14).
The court also allowed the parties to file rejoinders and said other officials would not need to appear at the next hearing.
During the proceedings, the KP advocate general challenged the IHC’s jurisdiction, arguing that the court’s authority was limited to Islamabad and that it could not issue directions to officials in other provinces.
He also questioned whether the petitioner was an affected party and argued that the political party allegedly targeted by the petition had not been made a respondent.
The hearing also saw discussion over the role of the KP chief minister and his political affiliation. The chief justice asked whether the chief minister had been consulted and referred to his constitutional oath, stressing that loyalty to the state was an important consideration.
The court also questioned the repeated movement of political protests towards the federal capital.
“Why do protests always come towards Islamabad?” Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar asked the KP chief secretary, who described such activity as political.
The chief justice then questioned whether an attempt to move towards the federal capital could also be considered merely a political activity.
The KP advocate general also raised objections to the placement of containers during protests, arguing that restrictions could affect citizens’ rights. He further raised concerns over compliance with court orders in other matters.
The Punjab advocate general defended the provincial government’s responsibilities regarding public safety and said protests had affected business activity in Punjab.
The court ultimately directed the KP chief secretary and IG police to submit affidavits by Monday and adjourned further proceedings until then.