SHC issues notices in petition seeking ban on rallies on national days

An NGO, seeks court’s intervention to stop rallies in the vicinity of historical sites.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court issued notices to the federal interior secretary, home secretary Sindh and other respondents in a petition seeking ban on public meetings on national days and on main roads of the city, on Monday.

The bench, comprising Justice Maqbool Baqar and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, earlier heard the counsel for the petitioner, United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (an NGO not to be confused with Human Rights Commission of Pakistan), which sought court’s intervention to stop rallies and public meetings by political parties on main thoroughfares of the city and on national days including the birth anniversary of Quaid-e-Azam and the Pakistan Day.

Filing the petition, Rana Faiz-ul-Hasan and Imran Shehzad maintained that millions of people living in Karachi face hours-long traffic jams, disruption of law and order due to a rally or a public gathering at places like Tower, Regal Chowk and MA Jinnah Road.

They prayed to the court to direct the Sindh government to not grant any permission to any political party for holding a meeting or a rally, on national days and in the vicinity or premises of historical places.

They also sought direction to Sindh administration to allow public meetings only at designated parks or open places to save citizens from traffic chaos and other problems emanating from a gathering or a rally by a political party.

The bench asked about the urgency of the petition when it came up since the court is on vacation. The petitioner cited Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s rally and said that the code of conduct was violated by the party.

They [PTI] were supposed to start their function at 2pm and wrap it up by 6pm, not use Echo chamber and not block the main roads. But all of these were violated, according to the petitioner. He maintained that every party does the same and common citizens pay the price.

The bench after hearing the initial arguments ordered issuance of notices to the respondents for a date to be fixed later by the office of the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 27^th, 2011.