Illegal street barriers could not be removed voluntarily from many areas of the city on the last day of the three-day deadline given by the Rangers.
Last month, the Sindh High Court (SHC) had directed the Karachi commissioner and law enforcement agencies to remove illegal barriers from the streets in the city and submit a detailed report. However, on Friday Director General (DG) Rangers Sindh Major General Bilal Akbar had appealed the citizens to remove all types of illegal barriers from the city within three days, adding that the barriers in the name of security will not be tolerated. The rangers DG said if the illegal barriers are not removed within three days then indiscriminate action will be taken in this regard.
Pasban-e-Pakistan general secretary Usman Moazzam, who is also candidate for by-polls on NA-246, Karachi welcomed the deadline of the rangers, saying illegal barriers are a curse for the city. He said free movement is the constitutional right of all Pakistanis. He, however, demanded that in those localities where citizens have erected street barriers on self-help basis, the rangers and police should ensure proper security after the removal of street barriers.
He said due to the barriers every locality of the city has been turned into a sub-jail. He said even the apex courts of the country have issued orders to end all types of no-go areas from Karachi. He hoped that if the rangers took firm action against the illegal barriers the city would soon get rid of them.
However, General Secretary of Home-based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) Zehra Khan said workers, especially women workers, face problems due to close streets because of the illegal barriers, as they have to walk many blocks to find a street that is open in certain localities. She welcomes the deadline of the rangers to remove the illegal barriers. She said it is weakness of the state when citizens erect barriers to protect their own streets, as it is the responsibility of government to provide security to their homes. She hoped that the feeling on insecurity amongst the citizens would also be removed by taking stern action to improve the overall law and order situation of every locality of the city.