Daily Times

The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) registrar’s office has raised objections to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Akmal Khan’s petition challenging the Punjab government’s decision to deny permission for a public rally at Minar-e-Pakistan tomorrow on March 22.

The registrar office objected that PTI did not first approach the grievance committee before moving directly to the high court.

Now, Justice Farooq Haider will hear the case as an objection matter, deciding whether the petition is admissible or should be dismissed on procedural grounds. Two days ago, on March 19, 2025, the Punjab government rejected PTI’s request for a rally at Minar-e-Pakistan (old Minto Park), citing security concerns.

The local administration argued that the current law and order situation does not allow for such a large public gathering, leading to a formal rejection of PTI’s application. Following this, the main opposition party in the country, PTI Leader Akmal Khan, immediately approached the Lahore High Court to challenge the deputy commissioner of Lahore’s decision.

The channel also reported that the Punjab government is set to submit its response in the Lahore High Court, explaining why it denied PTI permission for the rally.

A team of top officials, including the Chief Secretary, Inspector General (IG) Punjab, Home Secretary, and Lahore Commissioner, will submit the government’s stance. The Punjab government will be represented by Assistant Advocate General Muhammad Idrees Rafiq Bhatti during court proceedings.

It is worth mentioning that LHC’s Justice Farooq Haider will first rule on the Registrar Office’s objections. If the objections are overruled, the petition will proceed to a full hearing.

However, if the court upholds the registrar’s objections, PTI may be required to approach the grievance committee before seeking legal intervention.