Former human rights minister and PTI leader Dr Shireen Mazari has challenged the Section 124-A of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) in Islamabad High Court on Thursday pleading it to declare the proviso illegal, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

The PTI leader on Thursday submitted her petition challenging the Section 124-A through her lawyer Barrister Abu Zar Salman Khan Niazi. The federal and all four provincial inspector generals of police and chief secretaries were made respondents in the case. 

According to the petition, the Section 124-A is being used to clamp down on the freedom of expression and the section is repugnant to the basic rights granted to the citizens of Pakistan in the Constitution. 

The sedition cases are being filed (under this section) to suppress the freedom of expression and criticism, the petition states pleading further with the court to stop the authorities from registering sedition cases. 

Dr Mazari also petitioned the court to issue stay order in sedition cases. 

Later, talking to media, the PTI leader claimed that during their stint, they never made sedition cases against anyone. If authorities arrested a journalist, PTI Chief Imran Khan would immediately intervene and get him released, she added. 

She said that the previous PTI government had a very thing majority in the National Assembly, adding that when her government passed the bill on forced appearances in the assembly, it got stuck in Senate.

Dr Mazari said that people supported Imran Khan and it seemed that he would not only win the two-thirds majority rather he would sweep the polls. She maintained that Imran was a Ladla (blue-eyed) of the nation. 

Reporter Ehtisham Kiyani