PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Friday sought comments from the commandant and deputy commandant of the Frontier Constabulary (FC) in a writ petition challenging the closure of a route connecting two busy areas of Civil Quarters and Peshawar Saddar in the provincial capital.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Nisar Hussain and Justice Musarrat Hilali also ordered the FC authorities to reopen the said route till the next order. Next date of hearing will be fixed later.

The petition, filed by Advocate Aamir Sabir, stated that the said route had been used by pedestrians and motorcyclists for many decades while moving between different congested areas between Civil Quarters and FC intersection in Peshawar Sadder.

He stated that most students and government servants used the route while going to educational institutions and offices and returning back home.

He added that the FC officials had erected walls on the route completely blocking it for the pedestrians. He alleged that the FC officials had also occupied a nearby graveyard.

The petitioner stated that the move had badly affected the inhabitants of several localities, including Kotla Mohsin Khan, Nauthia Jadeed, Nauthia Qadeem, Landi Arbab, Dehri Baghbanan and Gulgusht Colony.

He stated that the route closure was illegal and unconstitutional as it placed undue restrictions on freedom of movement of people. He requested the court to declare the closure of the route by the FC as unconstitutional.

RESIDENTS PROTEST ROAD CLOSURE: Hundreds of people, including students belonging to Regi Lalma area, on Friday blocked Jamrud-Peshawar Road for several hours to protest closure of local routes by the security forces.

The protesters were holding placards written with slogans condemning the security forces for blocking the entry and exit points of about 30,000 people, making their lives miserable. They also shouted slogans demanding reopening of the roads and pathways at the earliest.

Owing to the protest, long queues of vehicles, including Afghanistan bound loaded trucks and trailers, were seen on both sides of the Jamrud-Peshawar Road.

MPA Yaseen Khalil, who also joined the protest, said the government should resolve the issue at the earliest. “I will contact the concerned high ups, including the Peshawar commissioner, to get the closed roads reopened so people could travel without any restriction,” he assured. The protesters opened the road after the MPA assurance, but warned of blocking it again if their demand was not met.

Published in Dawn, May 31th, 2014