Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry has warned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) against attempting to enter Islamabad during its planned protest on September 27.
Speaking to the media, Talal Chaudhry said any attempt by the opposition party to enter the capital under the guise of the protest would be met with a strong response from the government and state authorities.
He warned that if the PTI repeated the events of November 26 or attempted any form of long march, sit-in, or assault on Islamabad, the authorities would take strict legal action against those involved. “No one will be allowed to attack Islamabad, disrupt law and order, or challenge the writ of the state,” he said, adding that anyone taking the law into their own hands would face the full force of the law.
On the other hand, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ruled that no political party or public office holder has the lawful right to block roads, highways or other public places in the federal capital. The court issued the ruling while disposing of a petition challenging the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) planned protest and long march towards Islamabad on September 27.
A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, Justice Muhammad Azam Khan and Justice Muhammad Asif directed federal and provincial authorities to ensure that citizens’ movement and access to educational and medical facilities were not obstructed.
The court further ordered provincial governments and chief ministers to ensure that public funds, government officials, vehicles, machinery and other state resources were not used to facilitate any political march, procession or rally.