ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), condemning the attack on former Prime Minister Imran Khan, said that not to register an FIR as demanded by the complainant is illegal and violative of the SC judgments.
President SCBA Abid Shahid Zuberi on Wednesday, in a statement issued by the SCBA office, said that it is the fundamental right of every citizen to register FIR. It is the failure of the state, not to register FIR as demanded by the former prime minister which is illegal, without jurisdiction and is completely in violation of the judgments of the Supreme Court which requires that an FIR be registered as per the version of the complainant. “Accordingly, this Association demands that the F.I.R should be registered, forthwith, in accordance with law,” said the statement.
The Association had already condemned the attack on former Prime Minister Imran Khan that took place on 3rd of November 2022.
He said it is the fundamental right of every citizen to hold peaceful protests. It is the bounded duty of the state and the law enforcement agencies to protect the life, honour and dignity of every citizen of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Kamran Murtaza, Senator JUI-F and former SCBA president on Wednesday filed a petition requesting the Supreme Court to issue directions to the federal and provincial governments to devise comprehensive guidelines for holding of public rally/ Jalsa/ dharna ensuring balance between competing fundamental rights including prohibition to hold such rally within the populated areas of cities including ICT if exceeding a certain number of persons and also to ensure that such rally may not be for indefinite period of time.
Attack on Imran Khan: SC asks Punjab IGP to lodge FIR
He also prayed to the court to issue directions to Chief Secretaries of all the provinces and the Commissioner ICT to regulate the holdings of public gathering/ rally/ Jalsa and ensure that that any rally/ Jalsa will not encroach and stifle the fundamental rights of the people of the ICT as well as the people of Pakistan.
He stated that the reason for filing this petition directly before the august Supreme Court of Pakistan is that the issue raised herein, namely whether a political party, in purported exercise of fundamental rights under Articles 15, 16 and 17 (2) of the Constitution can impinge on corresponding fundamental rights of citizens of Pakistan and what reasonable restrictions the State is required to impose to balance the competing fundamental rights, raises the question of public importance, relating to enforcement of fundamental rights; hence, falling within the scope of Article 184(3) of the Constitution, in light of the dicta laid down by this august Court in the case reported as PLD 2007 Supreme Court 642.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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