Hurting business: Court seeks govt’s reply on stoppage of ‘legal’ trucks crossing border

Hears petition against ‘unlawful’ checking of traders’ trucks by PTI workers.

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has sought comments from the federal government, provincial secretary of home and tribal affairs and IGP to explain why Afghanistan-bound trucks are stopped and their registration documents checked by workers of political parties.

A division bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Nisar Hussain Khan was informed by the petitioner’s counsel that workers of political parties are not only stopping trucks carrying supplies for Nato forces in Afghanistan, but are also stopping vehicles carrying trade items between the two countries.



The petitioner’s counsel, Shah Nawaz Khan, further said truck drivers have legal documents and owners of goods have taken permits from the government for carrying goods to Afghanistan via the transit trade agreement. He added stopping these trucks is illegal and causes a loss of millions of rupees to the traders.

The bench, after hearing the arguments, issued notices to the federation of Pakistan through the secretary Ministry of Interior, secretary Home and Tribal Affairs Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and the IGP to submit replies in 15 days.

A trader, Haji Lal Muhammad, had approached the court against stopping trucks carrying legal permits by workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and sought action against them, terming their activity unconstitutional and without lawful authority.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 20^th, 2013.