Sindh govt withdraws notification regarding ban on pillion riding in Karachi
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In a late-night development, the Sindh government withdrew on Sunday its earlier notification regarding a month-long ban on pillion riding in Karachi.
Hours earlier, the provincial government had announced a ban on pillion riding "in order to maintain law and order", as per the suggestion of the city's police chief. However, the latest order issued by the home department, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, states that "in view of re-assessment of the security situation ... the notification regarding ban on pillion riding is hereby withdrawn".
The earlier notification, also dated October 11, stated that the provincial government had been informed by the Karachi Police chief of reports that "miscreants and disgruntled elements may disturb the peace and create law and order problem in Karachi by carrying out target(ed) killings".
It also noted that recently, incidents of hand grenade lobbying and targeted killings of law enforcement officials and religious scholars had taken place in the city.
"The government is satisfied that in order to maintain law & order and to prevent disgruntled groups/elements and to avoid any untoward incident/mishap, it is necessary to take immediate measures," the earlier notification read.
The notification had come a day after prominent religious scholar of the Deobandi sect and head of Karachi's Jamia Farooqia seminary Maulana Dr Adil Khan was shot dead along with his driver in a suspected targeted attack.
According to a police statement, as the Vigo car carrying Dr Adil stopped near a shopping centre in Shah Faisal Colony to purchase sweets, armed pillion riders opened indiscriminate fire on the car and fled.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, while condemning the incident, had assured that "intelligence organisations and law enforcement agencies will nab culprits of this murder", adding that "a number of such attempts" had been prevented "preemptively" in the past few months.
He also urged scholars of all sects to "ensure [that] people do not fall prey to this nefarious Indian design to destabilise Pak".
