LHC asks AG to get PM's suggestions on long march

Tauqir Ghumman Published August 12, 2014

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday directed Attorney General (AG) Salman Butt to ask Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif about his suggestions on the long march.

A three-judge bench of the LHC, headed by Justice Khalid Mehmood Khan and including Justice Shahid Hameed and Justice Anwarul Haq, issued the directive during the hearing of a petition against Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s Azadi march.

The petition, filed by citizen Muhammad Kamran, states that the march announced by PTI against alleged rigging in the 2013 general election would promote anarchy in country.

During the hearing, the court directed the attorney general to ask the prime minister regarding his suggestions on the long march.

The attorney general replied that Nawaz Sharif would hold talks with Imran Khan only if the latter called off his 'Azadi March.' He made it clear that the holding of talks was conditional to the calling off back of the march.

The court also instructed PTI's counsel Ahmed Owais to ask Imran Khan about his demands so the matter could be amicably resolved.

Owais was also asked if he advised Imran to meet the premier in accordance with the court's earlier directives.

The PTI counsel replied that at the current stage, negotiations seemed out of the question.

The bench asked that if Imran believed the elections to be rigged then why had he taken oath in the assembly.

Owais responded to the question saying that the party had been putting forward its demands for the past 14 months but to no avail.

The court subsequently adjourned the hearing until 3pm.

PTI Long March

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Gaz

Aug 12, 2014 02:50pm

So the independent judiciary is asking.the government on what to do.

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M. Anwar Qureshi

Aug 12, 2014 03:01pm

Political matters are out of purview of the Lahore High Court's jurisdiction; these matters can only be handled politically inter se PMLN and PTI.

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Fatima Kishwar Abid

Aug 12, 2014 03:41pm

this is hilarious

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nawaz

Aug 12, 2014 04:02pm

@M. Anwar Qureshi if the pti is asking some thing which is not constitutional, and go to disturb each citizen, what should they do to get their right.

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K Alam

Aug 12, 2014 04:07pm

I really doubt we have an independent judiciary after the model town incidence!

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nawaz

Aug 12, 2014 04:10pm

if pti and atp ask some thing beyond constitution, and even does not want to negotiate, rather do marches/create disturbance on the cost of public/citizens rights, what should they do to ensure to get their basic rights.

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iftikhar

Aug 12, 2014 04:15pm

As per complainant petition, march against wide spread rigging in general elections would promote anarchy in the country, how would court see the marches for the restoration of CJ chaudary which lasted for months and if independent economic analysis are carried out there might be a relation between economics losses and political instability due to those marches in the country.

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I. Ahmed

Aug 12, 2014 04:43pm

AG saying "Nawaz Sharif would hold talks with Imran Khan only if the latter called off his 'Azadi March.'". This is hilarious. If the judge had been independent he should have asked how many times NS talked to IK on the issue before the announcement of the march and what was the result. The PML-N has corrupted the judiciary beyond recognition.

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Rehan

Aug 12, 2014 05:23pm

"The bench asked that if Imran believed the elections to be rigged then why had he taken oath in the assembly." .. i say that pretty much sums up !!!

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Syed Hassan

Aug 12, 2014 05:27pm

I have yet to see a proper judicially sane decision coming from LHC. All they do is blow the trumpet on behalf of the sitting Govt. So much for judicial independence.

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