RAWALPINDI: Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan of the Lahore High Court (Rawalpindi Bench) has disposed of a petition regarding permission for a proposed public meeting of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) at Liaquat Bagh on April 9, directing the deputy commissioner Rawalpindi to decide the petitioner’s application in accordance with the law.
The petition was filed by PTI District General Secretary Aqil Khan through counsel Faisal Malik. The petitioner argued that the PTI is a peaceful and the country’s largest political party, striving for the supremacy of the Constitution and the rule of law, and that holding a public meeting is its constitutional right.
According to the petition, the PTI had submitted a written application to the deputy commissioner, seeking permission to hold the public gathering at Liaquat Bagh on April 9, but no response was received. The plea requested the court to direct the authorities to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the meeting.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel maintained that the PTI had not been granted an NOC for the rally, despite the party’s right to assemble under Article 17 of the Constitution, as well as Articles 15, 16, and 19-A, which guarantee freedom of expression and assembly. The court was informed that although the Deputy Commissioner’s Office had received the PTI’s application, permission for the rally had not yet been granted. After hearing the arguments, the court disposed of the petition with directions to the deputy commissioner Rawalpindi to decide the application strictly in accordance with the law.
