Petitioner goes to court for removal of unauthorised barriers

SHC asks Sindh home secretary and IG Police to submit replies by January 24.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has issued notice to the Sindh home secretary and police chief to submit replies by January 24 on a petition seeking removal of unauthorised barriers on streets and roads in Karachi and rest of the province.

Headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, the division bench also sought their replies before next date of hearing.

Syed Agha Attaullah Shah, the chairperson of the Rah-e-Raast Trust, took the home secretary and police chief to court for failing to protect citizens’ constitutional right of free movement.

In his petition, he invited the court’s attention towards Article 15 of the Constitution, whereby freedom of movement of every citizen has been guaranteed. But, he continued, that this right is constantly being violated as illegal barricades have been erected at the entry and exit points of many roads and streets through SHOs of the concerned police stations within the municipal limits of Sindh, including Karachi.

The petitioner stated that the citizens were facing great difficulties and inconvenience due to restrictions placed on streets. “On June 20 last year, a joint team of Rangers and police personnel had conducted a survey of city to remove the barriers and barricades put in place in various localities. But, they have failed to remove them so far,” alleged the petitioner.

Shah maintained that he had approached the court to invoke constitutional jurisdictions over the matter of great public interest after finding no other solution.



He asked the court to declare that people across Sindh were entitled to freedom of movement. He also sought a direction for the home secretary and inspector general of police to immediately remove barriers from streets and roads and initiate disciplinary action against the concerned SHOs, who were instrumental in restricting free movement of citizens.

On Thursday, the petitioner also moved a miscellaneous application seeking urgent hearing of the petition.

Granting his application, the bench issued notice to the home secretary and IG Police for January 24 by which date their replies should be filed.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 3^rd, 2013.