ISLAMABAD (MNN); The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has decided to constitute a larger bench to hear a petition challenging the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned September 27 protest and long march, with Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar describing the matter as having the potential to create a constitutional crisis.
Given the sensitivity of the case, the court issued notices to the Attorney General for Pakistan and summoned the inspector generals of police and advocate generals of all four provinces in their personal capacities.
During the hearing, counsel for petitioner Waqas Ahmed told the court that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister had announced a protest for September 27, alleging that the objective was to march towards Islamabad, exert pressure and secure judicial relief.
The counsel argued that the relevant cases were already pending before the courts and had to be decided strictly according to law. He maintained that allowing protests to be justified on the basis of pending cases could encourage people across the country to take to the streets whenever they wanted judicial relief.
Referring to the PTI protest in Islamabad in 2024, the lawyer claimed that attempts had also been made at that time to enter the capital. He said three Rangers personnel were killed during the protest, while newspaper reports had estimated the resulting damage at Rs240 million.
The counsel questioned how security personnel could have been killed if, as claimed, the protesters were unarmed.
He further argued that the Constitution guarantees judicial independence and questioned whether bringing hundreds of thousands of people to Islamabad to put pressure on the courts could amount to intimidating the judiciary.
Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar asked whether the protesters would be travelling to Islamabad alongside the KP chief minister and government machinery. The counsel replied in the affirmative.
The lawyer also presented a November 21, 2024 letter issued by the Ministry of Interior, arguing that government machinery had allegedly been used during the previous protest despite the ministry’s instructions. He added that no application regarding the September 27 protest had so far been submitted to the Islamabad district magistrate.
The counsel also referred to court proceedings in the £190 million case, saying the parties had repeatedly been asked to advance arguments on the appeal but had yet to do so. In these circumstances, he argued, the proposed protest appeared aimed at creating pressure for judicial relief.
Considering the sensitivity of the matter, the IHC decided to form a larger bench and issued notices to the Attorney General, the IGs and advocate generals of all four provinces.
The court adjourned further proceedings until September 10.
