ISLAMABAD: A former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) moved a petition on Tuesday before the apex court seeking the issuance of a directive to the government for regulation of public gatherings in the federal capital so that the fundamental rights of the people of Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) were protected.

The federal and the provincial governments should be ordered by the Supreme Court to thrash out guidelines for holding of rallies, public meetings and sit-ins, including a ban on rallies within the populated area of ICT, Kamran Murtaza pleaded in his petition.

Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, a five-judge Supreme Court bench will resume hearing on the federal government’s contempt of court petition against PTI chief Imran Khan for allegedly violating directives issued by the Islamabad administration asking him to confine the party’s march on May 25 to sectors G-9 and H-9, instead of heading to D-Chowk.

The petition, moved in person by Kamran Murtaza, also pleaded that in case the number of participants in a march entering Islamabad or staging a sit-in there exceeded a certain limit, they should not be allowed to stay in the city beyond a specified period.

Ex-SCBA president wants guidelines for holding rallies, suggests ban on public meetings within populated areas

Mr Murtaza requested the Supreme Court to direct PTI General Secretary Asad Umar to ensure that the marchers now heading towards the federal capital abide by guidelines issued by the government.

The petition contended that since all the territories surrounding ICT were in control of PTI-led governments, there was a possibility that armed men might sneak into Islamabad unchecked.

Mr Murtaza described as alarming a tweet by the PTI chief that he had been “witnessing a revolution for the last six months”. He also referred to a “disturbing statement” by a minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that participants of the ‘long march’ were “carrying arms to defend themselves”.

“The federal government, therefore, be directed to take all possible measures to ensure that no armed person or terrorist enters Islamabad in the garb of a participant of the march. For the safety and security of the residents of ICT, the PTI leadership should be bound to a code of conduct, the violation of which should entail contempt of court.”

Free movement

Two residents of Islamabad moved a contempt of court petition before the Supreme Court against government officials for “creating obstacles in free movement of citizens by cordoning off many areas of the capital city”.

They criticised the administration for placing containers at different places in the federal capital.

The petition was moved by Khurram Nawaz and Malik Fakhar Ali against the interior secretary, the chief of Islamabad police and a senior superintendent of police. The petitioners accused government functionaries of “taking coercive measures against political activists, workers and common citizens, and extending threat openly through the media”.

They alleged that on Oct 30, police and contingents of the Frontier Constabulary raided their houses without any warrant, but “fortunately we were not home at that time”. “The respondents have committed contempt of court by not complying with the directives given by the Supreme Court on May 25 and 26 that they shall not make any arrest and raid any house.”

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2022