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alleged desecration of the Holy Quran by a pastor in the US and the release of
content on the internet that was considered blasphemous. Political parties,
including one ruling in the Punjab, also held rallies against load-shedding and
inflation, shifting the blame on the federal government in the centre. The Punjab
chief minister also joined a demonstration in the city of Lahore to protest
against prolonged load-shedding.
Bans were imposed to curtail protests in the name of public order, although
sometimes groups of citizens and political parties disregarded the bans. Through
the course of the year protestors were arrested, beaten and even detained for
peaceful assembly, ostensibly for holding up traffic by protesting on the roads.
The right to peaceful assembly
The country’s courts have often reiterated that holding demonstrations
and exercising freedom of assembly are essential elements of a democratic
set-up, and that such rights should be construed liberally. The courts have
affirmed that the freedom of assembly cannot be abridged or construed as an
offence of unlawful assembly. However, reasonable restrictions imposed under
the law have also been acknowledged and accepted by the judiciary, most
recently in verdicts cited in the year 2012 at 2012 PLD 681 SC and 2012 CLC
714 SHC.
Under sections 30-32 of the Police Act applicable in all provinces, the
police are responsible for keeping public order in the streets, thoroughfares,
etc., and assemblies/processions convened without a licence from the
competent authority can be stopped or dispersed. While the general public
aggrieved by one problem or another seldom sought permission for holding
The Baloch organised large gatherings to demand return of the disappeared.
133
State of Human Rights in 2012