Courts back to business in Rawalpindi

Reports say disruption had halted hearings of around 25,000 cases

RAWALPINDI:

Inmates of Adiala Central Jail began appearing in courts of the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad after a lapse of six days on Thursday.

Court hearings at the district courts were discontinued because of the D-Chowk protest of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The accused from the jail were produced before the Sessions Civil Magistrate and in all special courts. Their meetings with their heirs were also restored after six days.

Approximately, 25,000 cases could not be heard in the courts of the twin cities for a week after roads were blocked with containers to prevent the PTI protest.

All courts held regular hearings of under-trial cases. The Sessions Civil Family Magistrate and the special courts granted physical remand to 31 arrested accused, sent 17 accused to Adiala Jail on judicial remand, granted bail to 12 others, and rejected bail of eight accused.

The arrest warrants of 11 accused were issued, five accused were declared absconders, three police personnel's salaries were suspended, and arrest warrants of five police personnel were also issued.

Three women were issued divorce degrees and another's minor son, forcibly taken away, was reunited with the mother, eight women's husbands were summoned in new family cases, and the husbands of two women and their children were ordered to pay their expenses, while two women were allowed to go home from Darul Aman.

Courts issued fines ranging from Rs10,000 to Rs15,000 to 29 shopkeepers and hawkers who were nominated in challans over inflation. Moreover, four hotels and food shops were sealed after dengue larvae were found and the property of three defaulters of various financial institutions were ordered to be auctioned.

Meanwhile, life in Islamabad and Rawalpindi has come to complete normalcy after days of disruption. Containers blocking highways, motorways, and major roads were removed, resuming public and goods transport services. Further, the bustling activity was restored in fruit and vegetable markets and commercial centres.

Entry and exit points between Rawalpindi and Islamabad, including T-Chowk Rawat, Faizabad Interchange, Chungi No 26, GT Road, motorways, and routes leading to the Islamabad International Airport, are now open.

The resumption of transport services has started normalising the delivery of essential goods, including fruits, vegetables, and petroleum products.

Markets on Murree Road, Mall Road, and Peshawar Road, which had been shuttered during the unrest, are now operational, with businesses reporting a return to regular trading activities.

Public transport hubs and hostels, which had faced closures, have also reopened, allowing vehicles to move freely to inner-city and intercity destinations. Similarly, government offices and public institutions have resumed normal operations. Allied hospitals are once again treating patients after disruptions in service.

The road blockades had severely impacted sanitation services, leaving piles of garbage across the city.