Anti-judiciary speeches: LHC orders ministry to put Kasur MNA, MPA, others on ECL

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday ordered the Interior Ministry to include names of six accused persons, including an MNA and an MPA of the PML-N in Exit Control List (ECL) as they are facing charges of delivering anti-judiciary speeches and taking out a rally against the institution of judiciary in Kasur.

Last month, a video went viral on social media showing the accused and others taking out rally in Kasur and hurling abuses at the judges of the superior judiciary and committing contempt of court.

Kasur District Bar Association President Mirza Naseem filed the petition submitting that the protest in Kasur was a planned conspiracy against the institution of judiciary. He alleged that the rally was led by PML-N’s MNA Waseem Sajjad and MPA Safdar Ansari while some local UC leaders also accompanied them. The same bench had been hearing the petitions against alleged anti-judiciary speeches of ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, his daughter Maryam Nawaz and other PML-N leaders. The bench was also seized with hearing of the petitions against MQM London Chief for his anti-state speeches.

In an identical matter related to the anti-judiciary material on social media, the LHC issued notices to Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and Ministry for Information Technology to submit replies on the next hearing.