The Lahore High Court has ordered that names of six men, including two lawmakers, being prosecuted for anti-judiciary sloganeering in Kasur should be placed on the Exit Control List.
During a hearing on Friday, the court issued the directive regarding six accused persons, including MNA Waseem Akhtar and MPA Naeem Safdar, and asked Kasur DPO Zahid Nawaz whether any progress had been made in the arrest of Kasur Baitul Maal chairperson Nasir Mehmood and market committee chairperson Jameel Ahmed, also accused of using abusive language for the judiciary during the rally.
The DPO said that both the two accused were absconding ever since the protest rally was held. The court then directed the DPO to look into the case and check why clauses of the cybercrime bill were not included in the FIR registered against the accused.
Directives were issued to refer the case to the FIA if it fell under the ambit of cybercrime law.
The hearing was being held over a petition submitted by the president of the Kasur district bar.
Kasur Municipal Committee chairperson Ayaz Khan and vice chairperson Ahmed Latif were also present in the court.
After hearing arguments of all sides, the judge adjourned proceeding till May 7.
On April 13, a protest rally was organised in Kasur where PML-N leaders also participated. The case against rally participants was filed on the grounds that they used inappropriate language against the judiciary and other state institutions.
Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi took strict notice of the protest and directed PML-N leader Sheikh Aftab to take disciplinary action against party members involved in the protest.
In a separate petition heard by the same bench seeking a ban on ‘anti-judiciary’ posts on social media, the LHC ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Ministry for Information Technology to submit replies on the matter.
Published in Daily Times, May 5th 2018.
