The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday remarked that the recent decision of the federal government to ban Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (Fazl) subordinate organisation Ansarul Islam is ‘infructuous’.
While hearing a petition challenging Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government’s decision, a single-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah summoned the interior ministry to explain how the federal government could ban an organisation that even does not exist on paper.
JUI-F counsel Kamran Murtaza informed the court that while JUI-F is registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as a political party, Ansarul Islam is not a ‘private militia’ as stated by the government but a subordinate of JUI-F which has been operating since the era of Quaid-e-Azam.
The chief justice said if the Ansarul Islam workers are members of a political party then the notification to ban them is infructuous. When he noted that the Ansarul Islam workers hold ‘sticks’ in their hands, Murtaza said the sticks are part of the flags they carry.
The JUI-F counsel informed the court that the federal government issued the notification without giving Ansarul Islam an audience. The chief justice questioned how the federal government can ban an organisation that does not legally exist. “What would happen if the Ansarul Islam workers wear a white dress instead of khaki?” he asked, and questioned the technicality of the notification while observed that the interior ministry should have sought an explanation from the party over it. The court then adjourned the case hearing till Tuesday (today).
