Nawaz Sharif arrived back in Islamabad from Murree on Saturday and plans to go to Lahore tomorrow. Photo: Geo News

 

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) Justice Aamer Farooq reserved his decision on the maintainability of a petition challenging Nawaz Sharif?s plan to go to Lahore via the GT Road tomorrow.

Hearing the petitioner ? Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawyer Usman Saeed Basra ? Justice Farooq asked under what law can the high court ban the rally. The judge also observed that a major part of the rally will take place in Punjab, which is outside the court's jurisdiction. 

According to the petitioner, the rally is an effort to undermine the authority of the Supreme Court and pressurise the accountability court [set to hear the National Accountability Bureau?s references against the Sharif family].

The petitioner adopted that the Supreme Court, through its July 28 judgment, disqualified Nawaz as MNA. He and members of his party are maligning the apex court by terming the ouster a ?conspiracy?.

Nawaz Sharif to reach Lahore via GT Road on Wednesday

Nawaz would make his first stay at Jhelum where he is expected to address a public gathering

To incite public anger, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Nawaz have decided to lead a public rally from Islamabad to Lahore on August 9, states the petition.

This act is tantamount to subvert and undermine the authority of the judiciary and thus an attack on the independence of the judiciary, the petitioner claims.

It also stated that with a show of power, the PML-N and Nawaz want to pressurise NAB in preparation of its corruption references against the Sharif family. The petitioner prayed to the court to direct federal government, ICT administration and Punjab government to stop this rally.