The Peshawar High Court expressed strong displeasure over the closure of roads due to protests by PTI and ordered authorities to immediately initiate action, directing that all roads be reopened without delay and a report be submitted to the court. The hearing was conducted on a petition filed against road blockages caused by PTI protests. Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Farah Jamshed presided over the case, while the Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Inspector General of Police appeared before the court.

 During the proceedings, the Advocate General informed the bench that parliamentarians had gone to Islamabad to ensure implementation of a Supreme Court order. The court remarked that Islamabad did not fall within its jurisdiction and instructed that action be initiated against those staging the protests. Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed requested the court to grant two days’ time. However, the court rejected the request, directing authorities to begin action from today instead of seeking further delay. 

The bench observed that it was unfortunate that the ruling party was causing inconvenience to its own people. Counsel for the petitioner informed the court that two individuals had died on the way due to road closures caused by PTI protests. The court remarked that perhaps those deaths might not seem important to the protesters and stressed that under no circumstances should the motorway be blocked. The bench further directed that no protests be allowed anywhere in Peshawar, noting that due to road closures, children were unable to leave their homes. 

The court questioned the IG about how many days the roads had remained blocked. The IG responded that protests were initially taking place at 16 points, which had now been reduced to 10. The bench asked whether blocking roads did not constitute a violation of the law. The IG stated that motorway-related matters fall under the jurisdiction of motorway police and that action is taken once a formal reference is received from them. 

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)