LAHORE: Justice Abher Gul Khan of the Lahore High Court on Friday reserved a verdict on the maintainability of a petition jointly filed by two opposition members in the provincial assembly, challenging sections 3 and 16 of the Punjab Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO) 1960, which allow the authorities to order detention and restrict judicial review of such orders.
Earlier, Advocate Azhar Siddique appeared on behalf of the petitioner PTI MPAs Chaudhry Ijaz Shafi and Sheikh Imtiaz Mehmood and presented his initial arguments.
The counsel stated that the regis-trar’s office raised objection to the petition unlawfully as it was the court’s jurisdiction to decide the maintainability of any petition on the judicial side.
He argued that the impugned provisions were in clear violation of constitutional guarantees, including the right to liberty, due process, freedom of movement and assembly and equality before the law.
He asked the court to declare the provisions unconstitutional, order disclosure of compliance records, direct a province-wide safeguards framework, and review recent detention orders for legality.
After hearing the arguments, Justice Khan reserved verdict on the petition’s maintainability.
ARGUMENTS SOUGHT: JusticeShehram Sarwar Chaudhry of the Lahore High Court on Friday sought arguments on the maintainability of a petition challenging the recent amendments to Punjab’s anti-terrorism law.
Under the amended law, terrorism cases can now be held under a confidential regime, including keeping the identities of judges, prosecutors, defence lawyers and witnesses secret.
Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Moeenuddin Riaz Qureshi, filed the petition.
Barrister Abuzar Salman Niazi appeared before the court on behalf of the petitioner and presented his initial arguments on the point of the petition’s maintainability. The judge adjourned the hearing for further arguments.