IHC seeks affidavits from KP officials in PTI protest case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary and inspector general of police to submit affidavits in a case concerning a petition against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's planned September 27 protest and long march. A larger bench comprising Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, Justice Azam Khan and Justice Muhammad Asif directed the two officials to submit their affidavits by Monday, September 14. The court also allowed the parties to file rejoinders and said other officials would not be required to appear at the next hearing. Rs25,000 prize bond draw results announced During the hearing, the KP advocate general challenged the IHC's jurisdiction, arguing that the court's authority was limited to Islamabad and that it could not issue directions to officials in other provinces. He also questioned whether the petitioner was an affected party and pointed out that the political party allegedly targeted by the petition had not been made a respondent. The bench also discussed the role of the KP chief minister and his political affiliation. Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar asked whether the chief minister had been consulted and referred to his constitutional oath, stressing the importance of loyalty to the state. Rabiul Sani moon likely to be sighted on Sept 12: Suparco The court also questioned the repeated movement of political protests towards the federal capital. 'Why do protests always come towards Islamabad?' the chief justice asked the KP chief secretary, who described such activity as political. The chief justice questioned whether an attempt to move towards the federal capital could also be considered merely political activity. The KP advocate general also raised concerns over the placement of containers during protests, arguing that restrictions could affect citizens' rights. He further questioned compliance with court orders in other matters. Daraz turns to AI to improve search, product discovery and seller insights The Punjab advocate general defended the provincial government's responsibilities regarding public safety, saying protests had affected business activity in Punjab. The court subsequently directed the KP chief secretary and IG police to submit their affidavits by Monday and adjourned further proceedings until then. Tags: ihcseeksaffidavitsofficialsptiprotest