The Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered authorities to comply within three weeks with a contempt of court plea filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). The party was refused permission to organize a demonstration in Bagh-e-Jinnah, near Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi.
The hearing on Tuesday featured PTI leader Haleem Adil Sheikh, Deputy Commissioner, SSP South, and other authorities.
Barrister Ali Tahir, PTI’s legal counsel, said that the court had previously ordered compliance within 10 days, but the case has remained unresolved since November 9, despite other political parties being permitted to stage rallies at the same location.
The attorney stressed that the court had expressly directed the appropriate agencies to make a judgment within the 10-day deadline.
In response, the Deputy Commissioner and SSP South filed a report, claiming security concerns as the basis for not allowing the PTI gathering at Bagh-e-Jinnah.
According to the report, the venue’s security did not allow for such a massive crowd.
After evaluating the comments, the court restated its decision, requiring that the original verdict be executed within three weeks.
On June 13, the SHC issued notices to the deputy commissioner and SSP of District East in response to a contempt of court action filed by the PTI for failing to comply with the court order granting permission to host a public assembly near the Mazar-e-Quaid.
The Sindh High Court’s Order
In its written ruling dated May 16, the SHC stated that forbidding the demonstration violates the petitioner’s basic rights. Specifically, the court ruled that this restriction breaches Articles 16 and 17 of the Constitution.
The administration’s refusal to permit the demonstration also contradicts Supreme Court judgments, according to the The Sindh High Court.
The Sindh High Court gave a written decision granting the PTI plea to organize a demonstration at Bagh-e-Jinnah Ground.
On May 13, DC East filed a sealed report, which was extensively scrutinized. The report failed to identify a strong reason for prohibiting the demonstration. Notably, on May 2, a conference was conducted close to Bagh-e-Jinnah.
The court commented that a security danger notice was issued before the demonstration on April 19. However, no actual proof or information was offered in support of the danger alert’s issuance.
The East District DC, SSP, and others were allowed to defend their decision not to allow the demonstration. Deputy Commissioner, SSP East, and others failed to offer a satisfactory rationale for restricting the rally, even after the deadline had expired. – supernews.pk
Maria Ghanchi