Imran Khan Urges Supreme Court to Probe Alleged Political Suppression

Imran Khan's PTI has petitioned Pakistan's Supreme Court to form a commission investigating alleged suppression of its leaders and workers. The petition calls for judicial oversight on claimed political and non-political interference, abuse of power, and fundamental rights violations by authorities, highlighted by state harassment patterns.

The founder of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, has petitioned the Supreme Court in Pakistan, seeking the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the alleged persecution of PTI leaders and members, as reported by Dawn. Khan's petition claims that state authorities, in collaboration with unknown entities, are targeting party affiliates and infringing on basic rights.

Filed by PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, the petition demands a commission led by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, accompanied by Justices Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Munib Akhtar, to examine political and non-political interference in state institutions. The investigation would aim to identify breaches of constitutional duties and hold violators accountable. The plea urges the Supreme Court to protect fundamental constitutional rights, including life, assembly, expression, movement, information access, and judicial recourse.

In addition to seeking a directive against denying a no-objection certificate for PTI's scheduled November 24 gathering, the petition also calls for the Supreme Court to prevent local administrations from misusing Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code to suppress peaceful assemblies. It demands curbs on the use of detention orders under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance 1960, allegedly misapplied against political and civil rights activists.

The petition accuses authorities of orchestrating harassment through arrests, fabricated charges, and repeated detentions, urging the court to limit recurrent First Information Reports (FIRs) against individuals. It demands empowering high courts to prevent the police or state from misusing arrests to intimidate citizens, while emphasizing the regulation of FIR registration against PTI workers involved in peaceful protests.

Highlighting a state-led pattern of harassment, the petition underlines the disproportionate legal mechanisms used to suppress dissent and weaken public trust in democratic institutions. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)