The district administration of Mansehra in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has demolished the stage set up for a workers’ convention of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and imposed section 144 on assembly processions across the district. According to media reports, the PTI had applied for a no-objection certificate (NOC) to hold the convention, but the Deputy Commissioner rejected the application. The administration then demolished the stage and deployed a heavy police force in the area.
The DC said that the police station in Mansehra city did not give security clearance for the event. The DPO has ordered that no party, including the PTI, be allowed to hold any gatherings due to security concerns.
The PTI leadership was informed about the orders of the DPO and DC yesterday, but they went ahead with the convention anyway. The police have taken action to implement the orders of the DPO and the administration. The police have also installed gates at various places to disperse the caravans coming towards the assembly hall. They are also conducting raids to arrest PTI workers.
It is worth mentioned here that the Peshawar High Court (PHC) had earlier allowed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to hold public meetings and rallies for the upcoming elections after fulfilling the conditions put by the respective district administrations. A PHC division bench, comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Shakil Ahmad, passed the orders in a writ petition filed by a PTI leader and former minister Ali Amin Gandapur and others.
During the course of proceedings, Justice Ijaz Anwar remarked that it was not a new thing in Pakistan to organise a public meeting at the residence of an absconder. “It has become a common practice and even an absconder is now brought with protocol,” the judge said.
