Supreme Court (SC) has wrapped up Senator Kamran Murtaza petition seeking court orders to stop Imran Khan long march declaring it in-fructuous.
A 3-member bench of SC presided over by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial took up the petition for hearing Thursday.
The CJP remarked during the hearing of petition letter written by federation to provinces under article 149 is very serous matter. We want peace rather that chaos in the country. We don’t want to give such order which is premature and then it has to be implemented. The violations committed in past have been mentioned in the petition. Long march is a political issue and a political solution can be its solution. Interference in such problems creates strange situation for the court. The right to protest is not infinite. It is linked to constitutional limits. According to the petitioner the powers of executive are limited only to 27 kilometers. The petitioner has come to us on the basis of presumption. May be the other party has their own stance on previous violations. If there is threat of clear constitutional violation then the court will interfere.
The court dismissed advocate Kamran Murtaza petition declaring it infructuous.
The petitioner Kamran Murtaza took the plea Imran Khan long march has begun two weeks before. According to Fawad Chaudhry the long march will reach Islamabad on Friday or Saturday. The normalcy of life is affected by long march. Long march is PTI right but rights of common man should not be affected.
Justice Ayesha Malik remarked PTI long march is running since several days. Have you approached the administration. What is haste in the matter of long march and what is negligence of administration. Has government evolved some procedure to regulate the protest. The administrated should be activated to play their role. Protests take place every day at many places including parliament in Islamabad. Have you resorted to courts ever against the other protests. Why the interference of court is needed in the long march of a specific party. Does the administration not know how it has to discharge its obligations. SC can do what in the administrative matters.
Justice Athar ,Minallah inquired from the petitioner do you think that the administration has become so weak that it can not control long march. It is executive matter. Therefore, approach them. The judiciary can interfere in extraordinary situation. Why the court should interfere when administration has sweeping powers to control such situation.
Kamran Murtaza told the court on this occasion the matter has gone far ahead. One man lost life due to firing on long march of PTI. Earlier a province has remained paralyzed due to long march.
AAG told the court the administration had asked PTI to hold public meeting in Rawat. When administration demanded affidavit from PTI, no reply was even given. This matter is running in Islamabad High Court (IHC). Federation has written a letter to Punjab province on November 05 under article 149 of the constitution. We want interference of the court to maintain law and order in the country.
AG Islamabad Jahnagir Jadoon told the court a letter from PTI was received by administration in connection with long march in Islamabad. The administration had asked from PTI about time, date and venue. Its reply was not given by the PTI. Ahead of Wazirabad incident PTI talked of blood shed. The administration refused to give permission to enter into Islamabad after Wazirabad incident. The case regarding permission for Islamabad public meeting is subjudice in Islamabad High Court.
CJP Umar Ata Bandial remarked today’s headline related to attack on Bajore and Lakki Murawat. The entire nation is affected due to it. We can understand that the entire nation is worried over the prevailing situation. The situation is such at present. When there emerges threat for constitutional violation then the court will violate.
The court dismissed the petition filed by Kamran Murtaza declaring it infructuous.
