The Supreme Court (SC) has decided to hear a petition filed against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) over an alleged 'hate-campaign' by the party criticizing state institutions such as the Pakistan Army, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the judiciary.
The petition had been moved by Advocate Qausain Faisal through his counsel Hassan Raza Pasha, who had appealed for PTI members and spokespersons to be restrained from making any public or private statements that were deemed 'anti-state'.
The Supreme Court has told the registrar to place the petition for open hearing.
Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah had heard the appeal privately in his chambers, when the registrar office had raised objections due to which Shah had returned the petition, stating that it should be fixed before being presented to the court.
The objections that were raised by the Supreme Court registrar's office questioned the filing of the petition directly with the apex court under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, instead of first approaching the forums below it.
The petition looked to the court to formulate a commission to assess the 'damage' that the allegedly 'organized hate campaign' had done to the national security of Pakistan, as well as the country's relations with other friendly countries.
The petition named the federation and the interior secretary, the PTI and its chairman Imran Khan and former ministers Fawad Chaudhry and Dr Shireen Mazari, among others, as respondents.
It also claimed that it was 'public knowledge' that following his ouster, Imran Khan had been 'issuing alleged unfounded, provocative, highly defamatory and derogatory statements in public interviews, political rallies or other means, in print, electronic and social media.'
The petition had been moved by Advocate Qausain Faisal through his counsel Hassan Raza Pasha, who had appealed for PTI members and spokespersons to be restrained from making any public or private statements that were deemed 'anti-state'.
The Supreme Court has told the registrar to place the petition for open hearing.
Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah had heard the appeal privately in his chambers, when the registrar office had raised objections due to which Shah had returned the petition, stating that it should be fixed before being presented to the court.
The objections that were raised by the Supreme Court registrar's office questioned the filing of the petition directly with the apex court under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, instead of first approaching the forums below it.
The petition looked to the court to formulate a commission to assess the 'damage' that the allegedly 'organized hate campaign' had done to the national security of Pakistan, as well as the country's relations with other friendly countries.
The petition named the federation and the interior secretary, the PTI and its chairman Imran Khan and former ministers Fawad Chaudhry and Dr Shireen Mazari, among others, as respondents.
It also claimed that it was 'public knowledge' that following his ouster, Imran Khan had been 'issuing alleged unfounded, provocative, highly defamatory and derogatory statements in public interviews, political rallies or other means, in print, electronic and social media.'