Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday rejected a petition filed against the proposed 'Azadi March' of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) due to lack of pursuance.

Hearing the case, Chief Justice IHC Athar Minallah rejected the application due to non-pursuance. Petitioner Asif Mehmood and his counsel did not appear before the court on Friday.

A citizen Asif Mehmood had filed the application seeking restriction on 'Azadi March' and ban on the JUI-F emir. The applicant also adopted the stance that hate speeches of JUI-F may create chaos and deteriorate the law and order in the country.

He also requested the court to direct the Ministry of Human Rights to ban hate speeches of Emir JUI-F Maulana Fazlur Rehman. The petition said that the JUI-F emir had announced to stage 'Azadi March' because he had lost the last general election and also because of likely reforms in seminaries.

The petitioner had made the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Human Rights, inspector general of Islamabad police and Maulana Fazlur Rehman as respondents.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019