Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq said on Friday that as per intelligence reports, there were fears of another attack on former prime minister Imran Khan.
\nHe passed the remarks while hearing a petition filed by traders regarding road closures due to the party\u2019s protest.
\nEarlier, Justice Farooq had sought a report from the inspector general of Islamabad police on the petition and directed the interior ministry to devise a strategy to ensure hassle-free protests in Islamabad.
\nDuring today\u2019s hearing, the judge, quoting intelligence reports submitted in court, said that there was a possibility of another attack on Imran\u2019s life.
\n\u201cIt is the responsibility of the government and the state to look into the matter,\u201d he said.
\nIt is pertinent to mention here that the PTI chief was injured during a gun attack while leading the party\u2019s long march in Punjab\u2019s Wazirabad on November 3. A PTI supporter, Moazzam Nawaz, was killed in the incident while 14 others, including the former premier, were wounded.
\n\u2018PTI must submit fresh plea for protest\u2019
\nAt the outset of the hearing, the IHC CJ instructed the PTI to submit a fresh plea to the Islamabad administration seeking permission to stage a sit-in in the capital.
\n\u201cIf the issue is not resolved, a fresh petition can also be filed,\u201d he said, stating that it was not the court\u2019s responsibility to allot a place for the sit-in.
\n\u201cIt is the administration\u2019s discretion if they want to give permission for D-Chowk or F-9 park.\u201d
\nJustice Farooq observed that the administration should decide the rules and regulations for the protest. \u201cThe same was ordered by the Supreme Court as well,\u201d he said.
\nThe court also asked if roads in Islamabad were still closed and sought an update on the situation in other provinces.
\nAfter the Wazirabad firing incident, enraged PTI supporters had taken to the streets in major cities across the country, prompting the federal government to reprimand the provincial governments.
\n\u201cWhat happened to the directions given to the provincial government by the Centre? What will happen if the provinces don\u2019t comply with the federal government\u2019s directions,\u201d IHC CJ inquired.
\nHe went on to say that protesting was the democratic right of every political and non-political party, but upholding the rights of common citizens was also important.
\n\u201cEven in England, people gather at 10 Downing Street. But they protest, not block the streets,\u201d he pointed out.
\n\u201cWhen the SC said they can\u2019t stop the long march, you blocked the GT Road and other motorways,\u201d Justice Farooq told the PTI lawyer, calling on the party to \u201cdemonstrate responsibility\u201d.
\nHe then reiterated that if the PTI wanted to hold a protest it had to submit a new application to the administration. \u201cIf permission is given, make sure roads are not blocked and citizens\u2019 rights are protected.\u201d
\nSubsequently, the hearing was adjourned till November 22.
\nThe petition
\nThe traders in the petition, filed earlier this week, had pointed out that the SC earlier this year had sought an assurance from the PTI that it will confine its protest to a specified place.
\nHowever, the party violated its undertaking and marched towards D-Chowk and set trees ablaze and damaged public properties.
\nThe rally was finally called off on account of fear of bloodshed, it added.
\nThe petition stated that the protest by political parties was to be seen through past experience starting from 2014 when a political party started a sit-in in the city for almost five months during which vital government buildings, including Parliament House and Pakistan Television, were attacked.
\nIt requested the court to restrain the political party from entering Islamabad\u2019s commercial areas. Permission for public demonstration could be made conditional with a proper undertaking by the PTI of confining itself within the designated place outside the periphery of the capital city.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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