PTI petitions SC for judicial probe into ‘witch-hunt’

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Thursday requested the Supreme Court to conduct a judicial inquiry into the suppression and targeting of the party and its leadership.

The beleaguered opposition party demanded that the judicial inquiry be conducted by the chief Justice of Pakistan and two senior most judges of the apex court.

PTI founder Imran Khan petitioned the Supreme Court under Article 184(3) of the Constitution making the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Law and Justice, Ministry of Defense as well chief secretaries of four provinces as respondents.

He prayed the apex court that the judicial inquiry should identify responsible and culpable individuals, take (or direct the taking of) an appropriate action against them, and issue such declarations, orders, injunctions, and consequential orders as were necessary to ensure effective restoration and protection of fundamental rights of citizens, including but not limited to the rights to the freedom of assembly, expression, association, movement, liberty, information, equality, and the right to fair and impartial judicial redress, as guaranteed by the Constitution.

Imran further prayed the apex court to issue orders and directions prohibiting the abuse of Section 144 of the CrPC by the local administration in order to destroy the right of assembly guaranteed by the Constitution including direction regulating issuance of orders that prohibit assembly of persons issued under Section 144 CrPC.

Khan prayed the apex court to issue orders and directions prohibiting indiscriminate and unlawful use of detention orders under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960 (“MPO”) against political workers, supporters, civil and human rights activists, and political opponents besides direction be issued for regulating the use of the MPO.

Similarly, the PTI founder prayed the apex court to issue orders and directions prohibiting sequential FIRs against the same persons and declare that the High Courts have the authority and jurisdiction to issue orders restraining the police/authorities from arresting and detaining an accused where there is clear intent to harass and unlawfully depriving the liberty of a citizen and pass orders that no arrest may be affected without first informing the court; in the appropriate circumstances.