The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday dismissed a plea seeking to stop Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan’s long march, terming the petition infructuous.
A three-member SC panel presided over by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and including Justices Athar Minallah and Ayesha Malik, heard Kamran Murtaza of the JUI-request F’s to stop the PTI long march.
At the outset of the hearing, Murtaza said it’s been two weeks since Khan’s long march kicked off after which the everyday life of people has been disrupted.
PTI is free to hold a protracted march, but it is not permitted to disrupt the daily activities of ordinary people.
CJP Umar Ata Bandial remarked that it would be inappropriate for the court to get involved in this issue.
Justice Minallah terming the matter related to the executive [government], asked Kamran Murtaza to approach them. “In unusual circumstances, the court could intervene.”
“When the administration has the authority to control the long march, why should the courts intervene?” he remarked.
CJP Bandial informed Murtaza that he had brought up the infractions from the last long march and wanted the court to get involved. “But the long march is a political issue, there is a political solution to it as well.”
He told the petitioner that when the judiciary gets involved in political matters, it creates a “difficult situation” for the court.
The SC top judge said the court will intervene in the matter if there is any constitutional violation. Later, Kamran Murtaza’s plea was declared infructuous.
