| RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) directed the government on Wednesday to reply within three weeks to a petition challenging the ban on religious outfit Hizbut Tahrir. The bench admitted the petition for hearing and sought the government's response. The petition, filed by group spokesman Naveed Butt, said that the ban imposed by state authorities on the group was "illegal and unlawful". The group's counsel Muhammad Ikram Chaudhry said that Hizbut Tahrir is an international Islamic organisation active in 40 countries for the promotion of Islam through literature and conferences. |