Court asks ECP, political parties to remove graffiti

Political and religious organisations are involved in wall-chalking, alleges petitioner.

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court issued notices to the Election Commission of Pakistan and all political parties on Tuesday to ensure that measures were taken to remove wall-chalking and graffiti in the city to regulate cleanliness.

“Political parties are actively involved in such activities and it is noted that the forced barriers, graffiti and political slogans are installed, affixed, painted not only on the public buildings but also on private buildings, public streets and walls of residences,” observed the SHC Chief Justice Mushir Alam, who was heading the bench.

A civil rights campaigner, Rana Faizul Hasan, had moved the court against alleged failure of the civic administration and law enforcers to remove unauthorised barriers and graffiti from various parts of city.

Hasan, who is the general secretary of the United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, had named the Sindh chief secretary, secretary of the local government, additional chief secretary for home, provincial chiefs of police, Rangers and administrator of KMC as respondents in the petition.

He stated that the unauthorised barriers placed in different areas had restricted the free movement of citizens as well as the law enforcers and emergency workers. “Around 70 per cent roads in the city have been blocked off by placing such restrictions by the residents in Jamshed, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, North Nazimabad, Korangi and many other towns. A state within the state has been established in this way,” he argued. “On the pretext of security, walls have been raised on the streets leading to the Bilawal House due to which the citizens of the locality had to suffer.” Hasan complained.



He also drew the judges’ attention towards another issue of how graffiti on the walls were destroying the beauty of the city. “The political and religious parties as well as other organisations are involved in this activity,” he alleged.

In October 2011, Hasan recalled, the Sindh governor had banned wall chalking, ordering the local administration officials to take action against those found damaging the city’s beauty. No action, however, has been taken against those indulging in such acts.

Delayed response

Since December last year, the court had been calling comments from the provincial government regarding the areas with barricades and graffiti.

Finally, on Tuesday, an additional advocate general Miran Muhammad Shah told the judges that details regarding removal of such barricades on the public streets had been placed before the Supreme Court yesterday [Monday].

“The second important issue raised in this petition is graffiti and wall-chalking,” noted the bench, issuing notice to the provincial law secretary and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s law officer to inform the court whether the directives of the Election Commission for removal of wall-chalking and graffiti were observed or not.

The bench also issued notice to the ECP and all political parties through their respective secretaries general for ensuring that steps taken for removal of such wall-chalking and graffiti to regulate cleanliness in entire city. The matter will be taken up on May 8.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2013.