ATTOCK, May 7: The Attock district and sessions judge has directed the police not to erect hurdles and obstacles for preventing movement of lawyers and others in future, without legal authority, as it is against the law and citizens’ rights.

The judge, Chaudhry Muhammad Yunus, issued these directives on the petition of the president of the district bar association (DBA), Rana Afsar Ali Khan, filed against the Attock district police officer (DPO) and the Attock city police SHO.

This ‘roads closure case’ petition was filed through a seven- member council, comprising advocates Sadaqat Ali Khan, Sheikh Ehsanuddin, Bashir Paracha, Sheikh Hameed Anwar, Abid Altaf, Chaudhry Akhtar and Waqar Azeem.

The court, in its short verdict, told the DPO and SHO (respondents) that they were not above the law and should restrict their actions within the limits prescribed by rules and regulations, as creating unnecessary hurdles in the movement of any citizen without any legal validity, was a violation of the law. Therefore, they must avoid indulging in such illegal acts in future, the court added.

Earlier, on the notice of the court, the Attock city police SHO, Abdul Hafeez Ohlukh, appeared before the court to explain his position.

On the court’s query, he said the obstacles had been erected on the Attock DPO’s verbal orders, to restrict movement of lawyers from proceeding to the capital.

The court, however, turned down his plea, saying that verbal orders had no legal validity.

The petitioner, Mr Khan, had informed the court in his prayer on Friday that the SHO, on the behest of the DPO created hurdles in the peaceful movement of lawyers, and other commuters, by blocking roads without any legal authority to restrict them from travelling to Islamabad, each time the hearing of the Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry reference is held.

In addition to this, he said, the police adopted a humiliating and insulting attitude towards lawyers, in particular and other people, in general, on such occasions.

The police also chased their vehicles and detained them illegally for long hours, which was a an example of the abuse of the official powers of the police.

The petitioner termed these police acts illegal and violative of citizens’ rights and argued that the court should take legal action against the concerned officials for their highhandedness.

The Attock DBA president and other lawyers hailed the court’s verdict, as it would curtail the abusive powers of the police and keep them in check to guarantee freedom of movement to lawyers and other commuters.