Court orders removal of barricades outside Hamza’s residence

Barriers placed in the name of security are causing problems for locals

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed the Model Town assistant commissioner to remove all hurdles and barricades from outside Judicial Colony (Phase-I), the residence of Punjab Assembly Opposition Leader Hamza Shehbaz Sharif.

Justice Ali Akbar Qureshi was hearing a petition filed for the removal of all barricades around Hamza Shehbaz’s house. The petitioner said these barriers were causing a nuisance for residents.

As proceedings began, the judge directed the authorities to remove all the hurdles from outside Hamza’s residence. To this, the petitioner’s counsel Advocate Azhar Siddique told the court that all hurdles had not been removed. He added some pickets of a private security company were still in place.

Justice Qureshi directed the Model Town AC and Lahore Development Authority (LDA) officials to visit the site and remove all the hurdles and barricades.



In previous proceedings, Siddique contended that Hamza constructed a wall and security room outside his residence. He said one side of the two-lane road, outside the respondent’s house, had been blocked for traffic by erecting an illegal structure and barricades. He contended the hurdles had been created in the name of security by using government land. He said barricades, placed in the name of security, had been causing problems for locals, in general, and residents of the area, in particular.



He pointed out that the Supreme Court had ordered the police and the government to remove all kinds of blockades and hurdles in the city and open roads for the public. However, he said, the road outside the residence of Hamza Shehbaz had not been opened for public, which is tantamount to contempt of court.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 26^th, 2018.