Daily Times

In recognition of the constitutional right to critique public institutions, the Lahore High Court declared Section 124-A of the Criminal Law to be in conflict with the Constitution.

The Lahore High Court ruled that Section 124-A of the sedition law violates the Constitution.

The verdict reserved two weeks prior on identical petitions challenging the sedition law was delivered on Thursday by a single bench of the high court, led by Justice Shahid Karim.

Petitioner’s counsel Abuzar Niazi Advocate had argued: “Sedition laws are a leg­acy of the colonial history which were framed in 1860 and were used against slaves. Pakistan’s constitution gives freedom of expression and opinion to every citizen. Even today, people are being booked under Section 124-A (sedition) over speeches against the government.”

During the last hearing, Deputy Attorney Gen­eral Asad Ali Bajwa represented the federal gov­ernment.

The court had then directed the federal government to submit details of sedi­tion cases filed in 12 months.

“The sedition law initially seems very ambiguous,” Justice Shahid Karim had remarked. DAG Asad Ali Bajwa had argued that Section 124-A had been in accordance with the Constitution.

PTI leader and former federal information minister Fawad Chaudhry has welcomed the LHC judge’s ruling.