The Lahore High Court barred Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan from holding his party's "power show" at Minar-e-Pakistan scheduled for this Sunday.
Khan had announced a "historic" jalsa on Sunday (March 19) at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore despite security concerns.
PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry had moved the high court a day earlier seeking to stop the police operation in the Zaman Park area to arrest Khan in the Toshakhana case as per court orders.
After an initial hearing, the high court had ordered police to suspend the operation till 10am today — which helped calm the situation at the former prime minister's residence which had turned into a battleground.
As the hearing resumed today, Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh told Fawad his party was not following the law and causing trouble for the whole nation. "For God's sake, let people's life continue," he said.
Before this, Justice Sheikh questioned where Fawad was, to which his lawyer said the PTI leader was on his way.
The court asked why Fawad had not reached at 10am when that was the time given by the court.
PTI workers clashed for nearly 24 hours with law enforcers trying to get through the party supporters and arrest Khan, who was voted out as the prime minister last April.
Scores of people — mostly police personnel — were injured in the process as the law enforcers fired teargas and party supporters resorted to throwing Molotov cocktails.
Legal proceedings against Khan began after he was ousted from office in a parliamentary vote early last year. Since then, he has held nationwide protest rallies demanding a snap election, during one of which he was shot and wounded.
