THE ‘sit-in’ phenomenon has assumed almost a culture with groups of people blocking the roads and highways for several hours, disrupting the traffic and causing unbearable problems for people at large.

It is suggested that some places be reserved for ‘sit-in’ in every city like the Hyde Park of London where they can vent their anger without disturbing public peace and tranquility.

This requires a law to be framed to prohibit dharnas on thoroughfares that suspends all public activities including students going to schools and patients going to hospitals.

Such restrictions created by dharnas also violate Article 15 of the Constitution that states “Every citizen shall have the right to remain in, and, subject to reasonable restriction imposed by law in public interest, enter and move freely throughout Pakistan and to reside and settle in any part thereof.” As such the government could, in public interest, place reasonable restrictions on the dharnas and processions so that the public interest of ensuring normal life activities on public roads and thoroughfares are not suspended with the spate of dharnas by all and sundry.

The traffic jams of several hours in the wake of dharnas create nightmarish conditions for road users that ought to be prevented in the public interest.

DR Y. BHATTILahore