IHC takes up PTI leaders' petitions filed during 2014 sit-in.

Byline: Malik Asad

ISLAMABAD -- The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will resume hearing today (Tuesday) petitions filed by the incumbent president, federal ministers and top leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) when they were in the opposition seeking freedom of expression and protection from highhandedness of the police to exercise their fundamental right to protest.

The petitions were filed in 2014 by President Dr Arif Alvi, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Jahangir Khan Tareen, Asad Umar, Shafqat Mehmood and activists of the PTI during their protest sit-in in Islamabad.

One of these petitions was heard even on a Sunday by the IHC which restrained the police from arresting/harassing the politicians and political workers of the PTI.

The court granted interim relief to all the petitioners. The petitions, pending since then, will be taken up by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Tuesday (today).

The petition filed by Dr Alvi and others contended that 'freedom of assembly and freedom of speech were fundamental rights recognised at the international level and affirmed by the United Nations.'

According to the petition, the district administration and police chiefs of provinces as well as Islamabad at the behest of the then PML-N government were forcing politicians and workers of PTI not to participate in the protest sit-in, 'which is not only illegal but amounts to take away the fruits of democracy and independence of judiciary.'

It said Article 24-A (3) of The General Clauses Acts 1897 provided that 'any authority making any order or issuing any direction under power conferred by or under an enactment shall, so far as necessary or appropriate, give reasons for making order and a bald order...