The Sindh High Court chief justice late on Thursday revoked a ban on riding motorcycles in Karachi just hours after Interior Minister Rehman Malik announced that the government was banning motorcycles in Karachi and Quetta for one day (today) in view of “serious security threats” on the first day of the Shia holy month of Muharram.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik told a press conference on Thursday evening that motorbikes would not be allowed on roads from 6am to 7pm in Karachi and Quetta today, adding that no one would be exempted.
Malik said his ministry had received information that motorcycles would be used in terrorist attacks.
“The decision to keep bikers off the road has come on the heels of intelligence reports that terrorists are hatching plans to carry out attacks using motorcycles,” Malik said.
Malik also said the government was considering shutting down mobile phone services in Karachi and Quetta. “A decision to this effect will be made on Friday morning,” he added.
Moreover, markets in both cities had also been directed to conduct business only between from 10am to 5pm on Friday (today). “No market in both cities will be allowed to open before 10am and after 5pm,” he said.
However, a few hours later the Sindh High Court Bar Association moved an application before the SHC CJ, asking the top judge of the province to annul the order as it is in violation of the basic rights of citizens.
The CJ admitted the application and ordered the interior secretary, advocate general and the provincial police chief to appear in court at 11am today.
Rehman Malik has come under severe criticism for ordering suspension of mobile phone services across the country “for security reasons” on more than one occasion. Cellular services were first suspended on Eidul Fitr and then on Eidul Azha, prompting protests from citizens and cellular companies.
Critics say that the interior minister is coming up with such unprecedented measures to conceal his inefficiency and incompetence, as instead of cracking down on terrorist networks, the Interior Ministry and its subordinate agencies are resorting to infringing the rights of citizens.
SHC is right, why should citizens of Karachi suffer because of the incompetence of Federal and Provincial Governments.
Great,next thing you know the government will ban the cars,buses,vans.Mr.Malik,how in the world are the people suppose to go to work,buy groceries,go to school,work,mosques since majority of the people own a bike.Not everyone makes the kind of money you make,easy for you to do that while you ride around in a big car driven by a driver and you pay for neither.How about the government do its job and stop making the people suffer.@Ajaz Haque,you are spot on,their incompetence,that says it all.
Great, next thing you know the SHC will legalize all guns ,bombs and missiles. The SHC will be responsible for any acts of terrorism involving motorcycles. May be , if the SHC had timely action against suspension of mobile phone services at Eid , a few bombs could have exploded killing a few hundred. A good opportunity was lost!
PPP will say judiciary is poking its nose in the Govt. affairs?
Faisal Raza Abidi is right…CJ is mullah omar of Pakistan
Rehman Malik, is good for nothing. What he needs to do is only a lip service instead of any practical job: just to kill the remaining tenure of their government. Rather than gauging their performance in the present government, our people will select these dummies for just empty stupid slogans. What a great nation we really are!
Come on guys Government is seen blaming any thing else with out doing any thing so Rehman Malik is such a comedian he has short cut answer for every thing which gets him in the corner time after time but no shame now it's about the time that the public should stands up to these stupid rules which only worsens the situation for the poor improve on the police they are not reliable guys. We should be thankful that SC has taken this role to remind the government and the rest to either perform or get out.
HATED PPP COALITION AND REHMAN MALIK … BUT SHC JUDICIAL TERRORISTS AGENTS OF CJ CHAUDHARY CHIEF JUDICIAL TERROR TERRORIST WHO WONNA BE PAK PREZ MAY 2013 BY HOOK AND MOSTLY CROOK !!!! SUPERVISED BY 30000 RAYOMND DAVIS VIA HOLDERS ROAMING FREE IN Pakistan ..
Comments are closed.