IHC seeks replies over motorway closure

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday sought replies from the interior and communications secretaries and the Islamabad chief commissioner on a petition challenging the closure of the Peshawar Motorway amid government measures to prevent the PTI protest march.

IHC Justice Muhammad Asif heard the petition filed by advocate Mian Shafqat Jan, challenging the closure of the motorway. The petitioner's counsel told the court that he had to appear before the Peshawar High Court on September 24, but the route had been closed.

He argued that any restriction on public movement must have a justification, asking how ambulances, funeral processions or students could be stopped. He said the IHC had already held that closure of roads was contrary to citizens' fundamental rights.

"We only want the court's judgment to be implemented," the counsel said, adding that if rules applied to ordinary citizens, they should also apply to the government. The petition sought a declaration that closure of roads without a notification, order or stated reasons was illegal.

The PTI had planned a protest march in Islamabad on September 27, prompting the authorities to take preventive measures and block roads at various points. The party later postponed the march to October 4.

Two PTI National Assembly members (MNAs) Adil Bazai and Dawar Kundi also moved the IHC against their detention under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO). Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro heard the petitions along with objections raised by the Registrar's Office.

The court directed the MNAs' lawyer, Murtaza Turi, to remove the Registrar's Office objections to the petitions and said the matter would be fixed for hearing after two days. Turi, however, requested an early hearing, saying the MNAs had been detained for 15 days, eight of which had already passed.