‘Islamabad has become a container city’, says city’s high court

Islamabad (Pakistan), August 29 (ANI): The Islamabad High Court has said that the city has turned into a “container city”, referring to recurring blockages on major roads, Pakistani daily Dawn reported.

Dawn said in its report that Chief Justice Aamer Farooq on Wednesday hinted that the High Court may issue a notice to the city’s chief commissioner on the issue.

Farooq was present during the hearing of the contempt plea filed by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf against the administration for cancelling the ‘no objection certificate’ for a public meeting, Dawn reported.

Farooq noted that due to lack of proper arrangements, the office workers were suffering daily as access to Constitution Avenue was blocked from all roads except Margalla Road, Dawn reported.

The Chief Justice said commuters had to wait in winding queues that covered only 500 metres in 40-50 minutes. He therefore declared the capital city closed and there were containers everywhere, Dawn reported.

Farooq asked the district administration why it had blocked the main roads, citing one reason or the other. He added that he would issue a summons to the chief commissioner if he failed to improve the situation, which was “not a desirable step”.

PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen said during the hearing that the party believed that the district administration had withdrawn the NOC at the last moment even after the district magistrate had submitted an application to the court seeking permission to hold the jalsa on August 22. Shaheen added that the magistrate would not allow any show of force, Dawn reported.

When the Chief Justice asked the reason for the cancellation, the Advocate General cited the law and order situation. Farooq acknowledged the law and order situation but expressed annoyance that the rally was cancelled hours before the scheduled time. He said the organisers were upstanding citizens and party workers, Dawn reported.

“You have to inform them in time about any security threat. The party leaders are responsible and they will not put the lives of thousands of party workers in danger,” Dawn reported, quoting the chief justice.

The Advocate General assured PTI that the district administration would not withdraw the compliance notice issued by September 10. (ANI)