PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Friday issued notices to the federal and provincial governments for responding to a petition, which sought its orders for the provincial government against creating hurdles on main highways to the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl’s coming march on Islamabad.

Justice Lal Jan Khattak and Justice Abdul Shakoor asked the interior secretary, KP chief secretary, police chief and others to file their replies to the petition of resident Azmat Ali Mohmand on Oct 29.

The petitioner requested the court to stop the government from placing containers and creating other hurdles on roads saying these steps of the federal and provincial governments were meant to deny the people their fundamental right of free movement.

The respondents in the petition are KP inspector general of police, KP government through its chief secretary, federal and KP law secretaries, interior secretary, and KP home secretary.

Petitioner requests court to issue order against road blockades

Imran Hasthnagar and Jamshed Shinwari, lawyers for the petitioner, contended that the right to hold a peaceful march was exercised in all civilised political societies, where no hurdles were created for such protests by the state functionaries.

They, however, said the current government was bent on creating hurdles in an unprecedented manner to block the Azadi March by force.

The lawyers insisted that the JUI-F and other opposition parties rejected the 2018 elections over rigging, so the anti-government protest in the shape of Azadi March on Islamabad had been planned.

They said the same right was exercised by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and its leader, Imran Khan, in 2014 and the then PML-N government didn’t create any hurdles to it.

The lawyers contended that after the Azadi March schedule was announced, the provincial government began placing shipping containers on the main protest routes to stop marchers from going to Islamabad.

They said by placing hurdles on the protest route, the government had violated the fundamental rights of the people as guaranteed in the Constitution.

The counsel added that under the law, the government couldn’t impose restrictions on peaceful protests and processions.

They said the administrations of different areas had already placed shipping containers alongside the roads to block several main highways as part of plans to stop the peaceful people from participating in the Azadi March.

An identical petition has also been filed by JUI-F leader advocate Obaidullah Anwar on the matter almost on the same grounds.

There is a high likelihood of the court taking up that petition in few days.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2019