{"id":15847,"date":"2026-09-15T12:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T12:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=15847"},"modified":"2026-09-15T12:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T12:10:13","slug":"pti-islamabad-march-ihc-directs-cms-to-ensure-state-machinery-not-used-for-protests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?p=15847","title":{"rendered":"PTI Islamabad march: IHC directs CMs to ensure state machinery not used for protests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>IHC allows one-time screening of protest videos.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Islamabad AG says rights remain subject to law.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Says govt not against any political party or leader.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday directed chief ministers to ensure provincial state machinery is not used for protests, while disposing of a petition against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf&#8217;s (PTI) planned long march towards Islamabad on September 27.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A three-member bench headed by IHC Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar heard arguments from the parties, including the Islamabad attorney general and the petitioner&#8217;s counsel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In its verdict, the court directed the chief ministers to ensure that government vehicles, machinery, funds and other equipment are not used for marches, processions or rallies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It further ordered that no government employee should be forced to participate in a protest, while directing provincial governments, the Islamabad administration and relevant authorities to ensure citizens&#8217; constitutional rights were protected during marches, rallies and demonstrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The court ruled that no political party or leader had a legal right to occupy roads, highways or other public places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also said political parties or leaders could not obstruct citizens&#8217; freedom of movement, directing the Islamabad administration and interior ministry to ensure protection of citizens&#8217; constitutional rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The IHC also issued directions to the federal secretary interior, chief commissioner, and inspector general of Islamabad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The PTI has announced nationwide protests and a long march towards the federal capital on September 27 to demand the release of jailed party founder Imran Khan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During today&#8217;s proceedings, the Islamabad AG argued that the PTI brought government machinery during previous long marches and claimed there was no indication that its proposed march would remain peaceful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;They say our long march will be very peaceful and that they are coming to strengthen the judiciary,&#8221; the attorney general said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also referred to a statement saying, &#8220;either freedom or martyrdom&#8221;, and sought permission to play videos from PTI&#8217;s November 2024 protest before the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The IHC chief justice initially observed that playing videos in the courtroom was not a judicial practice; however, Justice Dogar subsequently allowed the videos to be shown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Footage of PTI protests<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Videos showing Islamabad police preparations, alleged shelling on police personnel, removal of containers, fires at D-Chowk and the Green Belt, damage to public property and images of martyred police personnel were played in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A video showing Rangers personnel being run over by a vehicle was also played.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;By any means, this is not a scene of a peaceful gathering,&#8221; the attorney general said, adding that Islamabad had been &#8220;completely destroyed&#8221; by setting fires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He argued that citizens have fundamental rights, but said those rights are subject to conditions where peace and national security are concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The attorney general said anyone seeking to hold a protest or organise a long march in Islamabad would have to apply to the magistrate and provide details of the march.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said the district magistrate could reject an application if not satisfied about security arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also maintained that placing containers in Islamabad was lawful and that the federal government could declare any area of the capital a Red Zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The attorney general said the government was not against any political party or leader, but stressed that protests should be conducted according to law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He claimed that the PTI had not submitted an application to the magistrate seeking permission for the proposed protest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8216;PTI demands unlawful&#8217;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The attorney general also said PTI\u2019s demands included the release of jailed party founder and the removal of the government, describing both demands as unlawful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The method of getting a convicted prisoner released is through the courts,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">During the hearing, Chief Justice Dogar questioned whether government representatives also had the right to provoke citizens through their statements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Can chief ministers or government representatives make such speeches?&#8221; the IHC chief justice asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The attorney general replied that no one had such a right, saying provoking citizens did not fall within freedom of expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After the attorney general completed his arguments, the petitioner&#8217;s counsel questioned whether authorities should wait until damage occurred, citing statements that up to four million people could enter Islamabad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He also raised concerns about the impact of the proposed protest on residents of the federal capital, saying PTI leaders were repeatedly stating that they were coming to Islamabad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The petitioner&#8217;s counsel further argued that the personal conduct of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was affecting his official duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the conclusion of arguments, Justice Dogar reserved a decision on the petition, directing all parties to wait for the verdict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PAK SOUCH MEDIA GROUP<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Daily Pak Souch Newspaper Sukkur \u2013 Daily Pak Special Newspaper Karachi \u2013 Daily Pak Today Newspaper Karachi &#8211; Daily Pak Jazbo Newspaper Sukkur<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Head Office : Ayub Gate Shaikh Muhalla Near Rabbania Masjid Sukkur<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Karachi Office : Office No. 1901-B, 19th Floor Saima Trade Tower (B) Block I.I Chandigarh Road Near Jung Press, Shaheen Complex &amp; National Museum of Pakistan Karachi Sindh Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Contact : 03009319022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Website 1 : <a href=\"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/\">https:\/\/paksouch.com\/<\/a><br>Website 2 : <a href=\"https:\/\/sindhi.paksouch.com\/\">https:\/\/sindhi.paksouch.com\/<\/a><br>Website 3 : <a href=\"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/\">https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/<\/a><br>Website 4 : <a href=\"https:\/\/urdu.pakjazbo.com\/\">https:\/\/urdu.pakjazbo.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday directed chief ministers to ensure provincial state machinery is not used for protests, while disposing of a..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pakistan"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Pak-Souch-Social-Media-Poster-21.png",800,947,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Pak-Souch-Social-Media-Poster-21-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Pak-Souch-Social-Media-Poster-21-253x300.png",253,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Pak-Souch-Social-Media-Poster-21-768x909.png",768,909,true],"large":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Pak-Souch-Social-Media-Poster-21.png",800,947,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Pak-Souch-Social-Media-Poster-21.png",800,947,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/paksouch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Pak-Souch-Social-Media-Poster-21.png",800,947,false]},"author_info":{"info":["admin"]},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/?cat=3\" rel=\"category\">Pakistan<\/a>","tag_info":"Pakistan","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15847"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15847\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15849,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15847\/revisions\/15849"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/15848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paksouch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}