Petitioner wants PHC to stop street protests

Argues that such demonstrations block roads, create difficulties for commuters

PESHAWAR: With the already clogged roads in the provincial capital disturbed due to heavy construction work, some residents have been irked by the nuisance protests cause commuters.

In this regards, a writ petition has been filed in the Peshawar High Court (PHC) requesting the court to stop routine protests and sit-ins on the Grand Trunk Road (GT Road) and other busy thoroughfares of the city.

Apart from the fact that they block the path of commuters, the petitioner —   Pakistan’s former deputy attorney general Khurshid Khan — argued that they are also against Islamic teachings.

Khurshid urged that the routine political gatherings, protests demonstration and sit-ins on the on the GT Road and other busy arteries in the city have made lives of the people miserable since the city is already facing a traffic chaos due to construction work on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

“All the busy roads should be declared as ‘sacred’ and prohibit anyone from blocking it on the pretext of protests,” Khurshid told the court.

“It is also against the Islamic teachings to block public routes and create hurdles for the masses.”

The PHC was asked to direct the authorities to stop religious groups, political parties, students, government or non-government workers from protesting on the roads. Moreover, they should also be barred from setting up protest camps outside the K-P Assembly, the Press Club, and Governor House.

Passing processions from in front of it should also be declared as illegal.

The petitioner said that once protests begin on the Sher Shah Suri Road, outside the press club or the Governor House, life comes to standstill in the city since this is one the central roads of the city which connect to major hospitals, courts, government offices, the railway station and other important business centres.

“Raising voices and expressing the grievances is a constitutional right everyone is entitled to but it must not put the lives of the public and transport in trouble,” said Khurshid.

“For their rightful demands, the government should designate a particular area, where the protestors can vent their anger,” he suggested.

The traffic problems of Peshawar have been brought up repeatedly in the PHC over the past month.

They were first brought up in a case challenging the legality of the BRT project last month. While deciding that case, the court expressed concerns over traffic issues caused by the project and expressed dismay over the alternate arrangement plans presented by the traffic police officials.

PHC Chief Justice Yahya Afridi had directed the SP Traffic in the case to explain what can he do to get rid of pollution and traffic gridlocks on the road.

“Around 50 per cent pollution in the city is due generated by heavy vehicles on the ring road,” the SP had told the court. “We are going to ban the entry of heavy vehicles in the city to get rid of heavy traffic jam and pollution.”

The traffic official further said that on university road, traffic suffers due to intense security checking of vehicles at the varsity’s gates. This, he argued, blocks the entire road.

The court directed the traffic official to take all steps in ensure the flow of traffic.

In another case, where a two-member bench of the court comprising Justice Qasir Rashid Khan and Justice Musarat Hilali, which was hearing a writ petition filed by Khurshid against setting up of barricades and check posts in Peshawar, the PHC directed the authority’s concerned to remove barricades on the  Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Road in phases.

The Sahibzada Abdul Qayyum Road connects Khyber Road with Saddar Road. However, the key thoroughfare has been closed for public owing to poor law and order situation in the city. The road has immense security importance since it passes through the cantonment area and important buildings such as the Chief Minister and Governor’s house are located on it.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2017.