Lahore: A court here has ruled that the demands raised by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan and Awami Tehreek chief Tahirul Qadri are "unconstitutional" and warned them that "legal action" will be initiated in case of violation of the Constitution during their protest marches.
The Lahore High Court full bench today issued?a nine-page order in a petition against Khan`s "Azadi (freedom) March" and Qadri`s "Inqilab (revolution) March".
The LHC bench headed by?Justice Khalid Mahmood Khan issued a short order restraining the two parties from holding an "unconstitutional" protest march and sit-in in Islamabad.
Tehreek-i-Insaf and Awami Tehreek "have been restrained from holding Azadi March and Inqilab March and sit-in Islamabad in an unconstitutional way," the short order says.
In the detailed order, the court observed: "The PTI and other parties` demands - resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign, holding of fresh elections under interim government, dissolution of parliament and re-constitution of Election Commission - are unconstitutional."
The bench admitted the petition for regular hearing and issued notices to the Tehreek-i-Insaf, Awami Tehreek, PLM-Q and the ruling PML-N for September 12.
The opposition parties expressed their surprise over the judiciary`s direction intervention in the political matters.
"How could the judiciary restrain a political party to demand this and no that. Will anyone in the judiciary took notice of the Sharif brothers` demand from former president Asif Ali Zardari and former Yousuf Raza Gilani to resign. Was that constitutional demand during the last PPP regime," said Latif Khosa, Pakistan People`s Party Secretary-General.
Khosa said the judiciary was making itself controversial by such intervention.
PML-Q senior leader and former deputy prime minister Pervaiz Elahi said the judiciary should have protected its dignity and not interfered in the political matters.
The same bench during the hearing had directed the Nawaz- government to initiate dialogue with the protesting parties (Qadri and Imran Khan) to maintain stability in the country.
Justice Khalid Mahmood had remarked: "The government should initiate dialogue process with the protesting parties to maintain stability in the country. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif should visit Imran Khan even 10 times for the stability in the country. Banigala, the residence of Imran Khan, is not so far from the PM House."
PTI leader Mahmoodur Rashid said: "We fail to understand the LHC order. Will it explain what kind of unconstitutional protest march is? Besides, if demanding prime minister`s resignation is unconstitutional what the PML-N had been doing during the five year in the previous PPP regime."
