The Islamabad High Court has dismissed the contempt of court petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf against the revocation of official permission for a party rally. Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court conducted the hearing on the petition seeking contempt of court proceedings against the deputy commissioner of Islamabad. During the proceedings, PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen presented the IHC's written order on the contempt of court petition regarding the suspension of the NOC [no-objection certificate] for the PTI rally. He informed the court that the district administration had submitted a notification to the high court on July 4. The counsel added that the deputy commissioner had sent him a notification around 1:30 am suspending the PTI rally, just hours before it was scheduled. The lawyer argued that it was the 1st of Muharram today, and their party rally had been scheduled two days earlier.

He maintained that the notification from the chief commissioner falsely claimed to have called the PTI for a meeting when no such invitation had been extended. Justice Sattar commented that if the deputy commissioner had suspended the permission for the PTI rally, the PTI should have challenged that decision. The lawyer argued that those involved should be punished since their collusion had been exposed. In response, the judge asserted that if the PTI wished to challenge the decision, it should do so through legal means, as he could not initiate contempt of court proceedings based on the current petition. He also advised Shaheen to act within his capacity as a lawyer. The judge noted that during the previous hearing, the Islamabad DC had initially granted permission for the rally, but this decision had been suspended by the chief commissioner. He accentuated that the PTI needed to challenge the chief commissioner's order.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan