Islamabad: There is a possibility of another assassination attempt on Imran Khan, the Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court said on Friday and asserted that it was the government's responsibility to take cognisance of the looming threat on the former prime minister.
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq's remarks came while hearing a petition filed by traders regarding road closures due to the protest staged by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. The judge, quoting intelligence reports submitted to the court, said that there was a possibility of another attack on Khan's life, the Dawn newspaper reported. "It is the responsibility of the government and the state to look into the matter," he said.
Justice Farooq said the PTI should submit a fresh plea to the Islamabad administration seeking permission for its long march, demanding early general election. "If the issue is not resolved, a fresh petition can also be filed," he said, adding that it was not the court's responsibility to allot a place for the sit-in.
"It is the administration's discretion if they want to give permission for D-Chowk or F-9 park," he said. "The same was ordered by the Supreme Court as well," he said. Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a petition to stop the protest march of Khan by observing that it was a political issue and should be resolved politically.
Chief Justice Farooq said the protest was the democratic right of every political and non-political party, but upholding the rights of common citizens was also important.