ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control on Thursday passed a resolution against the proposed lockdown of the federal capital by the PTI on Nov 2.

Though there were nine bills to discuss by the committee at a meeting chaired by Rana Shamim Ahmed Khan, at the start of the proceeding MNA Ghalib Khan of the PML-N said he wanted to draw the attention of the members to a very important issue.

“On Nov 2, Islamabad is going to be locked down due to which life in the city will be affected with schools remaining closed and the residents suffering. I want to move a resolution that the committee should recommend that the city should not be closed.”

Mr Khan said the protest would create problems for the residents and should not be held.

“People have been suffering and even hospitals have stopped giving dates for operations before and after Nov 2 because they fear that in case of an agitation the hospitals will remain engaged in treating injured people. So routine operations in the hospitals have been postponed,” he said.

Nauman Islam Shaikh of the PPP supported the resolution, adding his party was not in favour of the lockdown of the city.

Sher Akbar Khan, who belongs to Jamaat-i-Islami, said everyone had the right to protest but the city should not be closed.

Naeema Kishwar of the JUI-F also support the resolution, saying people would suffer because of the protest.

The committee unanimously passed the resolution and said the lockdown of the city would create hurdles in the working of schools, hospitals and government and private offices.

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2016