The Lahore High Court on Wednesday sought a reply from the Punjab government to a plea seeking regulation of public protests in the province, particularly Lahore, and action against the president of the Punjab Paramedical Alliance (PPA) over an elderly womans death in an ambulance stuck in a traffic jam.
Petitioner Mian Asad Mahmood submitted that Saleema Bibi had died en route to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology on February 8 when her ambulance was held up in a traffic jam caused by a PPA demonstration. The paramedics had blocked Jail Road during their protest for a professional allowance, pay protection and revision of the service structure for lower grade employees.
Mahmood said that these protests where roads were blocked for general traffic were not just an inconvenience to the public at large, but could cause deaths, as in the case of Saleema Bibi. He said that the PPA had a right to protest, but not to stop ambulances.
He submitted that street demonstrations were becoming more and more common and two or three took place in Lahore every day. These were causing major problems for commuters, he said.
He asked the court to direct the Punjab government to devise a strategy to regulate the protests. He also asked PPA President Malik Munir be penalised for his role in the death of Saleema Bibi.
After recording the initial arguments, Justice Manzoor Ahmad Malik issued notices to the Punjab government, the health secretary and the PPA president for February 17. He also directed Mahmood to make the capital city police officer and other police officers a party to the petition.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 16th, 2012.
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