LHC disposes of PTI petition for rally at Minar-i-Pakistan after DC refuses permission

On Wednesday, the Lahore High Court dismissed a petition by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking permission to hold a public rally at Minar-i-Pakistan. The decision came after the deputy commissioner had denied the request. PTI had planned to stage nationwide protests on Wednesday to commemorate three years since the imprisonment of the party's founder, Imran Khan, and to demand his release.

The rally in Peshawar was expected to be the focal point of their campaign. During the hearing, Justice Mirza Viqas Rauf instructed a law officer to seek guidance from the deputy commissioner. Upon resuming the hearing, the officer informed the court that the deputy commissioner had rejected the PTI's application at a senior-level meeting.

The officer claimed that granting permission for the rally would be unsafe due to potential terrorist threats in Lahore. The judge then questioned the petitioner's lawyer about the legal basis for granting permission to a public gathering despite the deputy commissioner's decision. The court dismissed the plea and advised the lawyer to contest the deputy commissioner's order if the petitioner felt wronged, stating that seeking judicial review would be the proper recourse.

In his petition, PTI leader Mian Akram Usman had submitted a request for a no-objection certificate on July 22, requesting permission for the rally. He alleged that despite multiple follow-ups, the deputy commissioner's office neither approved nor formally denied the request, instead employing delaying tactics and maintaining silence, which he argued infringed upon fundamental rights such as due process, peaceful assembly, freedom of association, and freedom of expression.