THE restraining order issued by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) vis-à-vis ‘do or die’ protest of the PTI has deprived the party of any legitimacy to converge in the Federal Capital on November 24. Its plan received a big blow as the court ruled that no protest or rally in violation of a recent law regulating public gatherings in the capital would be allowed over the weekend amid the Belarusian President’s visit. PTI founder and ex-premier Imran Khan issued a “final call” for the Sunday protest last week, denouncing what he described as the stolen mandate, the unjust arrests of people and the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which he said has strengthened a “dictatorial regime”.
The order is understandable as the court was informed that the party has not fulfilled formalities for the announced rally and sit-in as required under the recently passed Peaceful Assembly and Public Order Act, 2024, which envisages that if anyone wished to hold an assembly in Islamabad, they must submit an application in writing to the district magistrate not later than seven days of the intended event’s date. Such an application is to be processed and an appropriate order given regarding permission for the assembly but neither the PTI sought permission nor was it given by the authorities concerned. It is because of the unilateral nature of the protest call and plan that the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court Justice Aamer Farooq not only banned the rally but also issued clear directions to relevant authorities and agencies to fulfill their responsibility for maintenance of law and order in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) without minimum disruption to the life of the ordinary citizen. In fact, the PTI has landed itself in a complicated situation by announcing to go for extreme measures for acceptance of demands which the party itself believes cannot be granted overnight. Going by what happened to past rallies and sit-ins in Islamabad including that of the longest one in 2014, it is a foregone conclusion that the State will not succumb to pressure tactics. Therefore, the court order offers a face-saving to the leadership of the party to review its plan and strategy for November 24 as there are genuine legal and security issues involved.
The court has directed the authorities to constitute a Committee to be headed preferably by the Minister for Interior or any other person to engage with the PTI leadership, informing them of the sensitivity over the weekend due to visit of the Belarus President. In a strange coincidence, the party announces plans for protest in Islamabad on dates when foreign VVIPs are scheduled to visit Pakistan. In 2014, visit of the Chinese President had to be rescheduled, a few weeks back the party intended to hold protests on the day of SCO moot in the capital but then better sense prevailed and now it wants to do so when an important delegation from Belarus is due on November 24 and the President of the friendly country scheduled to arrive the next day. Such bilateral visits have months of preparations behind them and should not be undermined for the sake of domestic politics. We also hope that despite getting legal cover to deal with any protest, the Federal Government will formulate its strategy with due care to ensure no disruption of normal life. This is because hundreds of containers are visible in and around Islamabad and the authorities have also announced plans to block Internet and mobile phone services. No one can quantify the economic loss to the country and its citizens besides enormous difficulties in carrying out daily routines because of the security situation and preventive measures adopted frequently by the Government. The authorities must not go for overkill in the name of security. The IHC has rightly pointed out “shutting the city, suspending mobile service, closing shops and businesses and placing containers is no solution to the problem, adding why such things are not being dealt with politically?
