Following the Supreme Court’s (SC) orders regarding delimitation of constituencies in the financial hub of the country, barricades and barriers have started popping up at major streets and service roads in the city on the behest of providing security, blocking passage of vehicles and pedestrians, Pakistan Today has observed.
The apex court had recently issued a verdict ordering that the constituencies of the metropolis be delimited and the electoral rolls be verified with the help of army and the Frontier Corps.
This practice of erecting brick walls and installing iron barriers was predominantly seen in Urdu and Pashto speaking areas of the city. However, after the apex court’s orders, blockades have started appearing on major service roads unlike before.
In Gulshan-e-Iqbal alone, 80 percent of service roads have been installed with barriers. There is hardly an entrance into areas from Hassan Square to Nipa and Gulshan Chowrangi which is causing serious problems for residents and visitors alike.
This situation has left the authorities in an awkward situation since, in addition to being illegal; such barriers restrict movement of citizens, law enforcement personnel and emergency workers.
However, residents of these localities seem to be tacitly approving such measures since they believe it will keep them secure in the violence-hit city. “We have little option but to take these self-help measures since the government and the law enforcement agencies appear helpless against the growing levels of crime in the city,” said a resident.
The various political parties active in the city have expressed mixed views regarding the legitimacy or the need of such barriers though numerous observers have pointed out the dangers inherent in sectioning off a city in this way when it is already geographically divided across ethnic and political lines.
In recent times, the city has witnessed the growing phenomenon of roads being blocked off permanently or between certain hours of the day by residents or local committees on the pretext of ensuring security for their localities.
In addition, various political parties, politicians, mosques and imambargahs have also installed barriers on certain streets to prevent the passage of ordinary traffic in lieu of security threats.
Relevant authorities have no numbers on locations that have been blocked off by such illegally-installed barriers.
The official sources confirmed that except for barriers installed in the proximity of foreign missions, all obstructions are illegal. Sources said no government functionary or department has the authority to grant permission for the installation of barriers on public roads. In fact, such an act is considered a punishable offence under the Police Order 2002.
The Sindh government had recently decided that all illegal barriers, which restrict the movement of law enforcement agencies and emergency workers, would be removed. The decision drew strong criticism from the quarters concerned, which forced authorities to sort out the modalities before the launch of any removal operation.
The areas that have been cordoned off with barriers include Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Mehmoodabad, Shah Faisal Colony, Gulshane Jauhar, North Nazimabad, New Karachi, Gulberg, Lalo Khet, Mooninabad, Saddar, Garden Town, Burns Road, Model Colony, Maskan Chowrangi, Quaide Azam Colony, PIB Colony, Safoora Chowrangi, Mosmiyat, Rabia City, Pehlwan Goth, Chisthi Nagar, Shanti Nagar, Lyari, Korangi Industrial area, SITE Town, Shershah, Orangi Town, Baldia Town, Gulshane Maymar and around 300 other sites.
This activity, which has seized to be an anomaly in the city, is a clear violation of Article 139(c)(d) and 141 of the Police Order 2002
A senior police officer told Pakistan Today that the local police could exercise these powers by placing barricades on several roads as part of the security measures for a procession, public meeting or around government installations.
In December 2008, the Sindh Home Department had announced to launch a crackdown against installation of illegal barriers and a notification was issued instructing all Station House Officers (SHOs) to remove illegal barriers from the streets and societies of the city. However, the practice has only accelerated owing to apathy of the concerned police stations, sources told Pakistan Today.
After passage of three and a half years, a high level meeting of police and Rangers’ officials had on June 21, 2012, decided to constitute a joint team to conduct surveys to collect data on illegal barriers throughout the city.
The joint survey team was constituted following the orders of Sindh government for removal of such barriers. However, no progress has so far been made in this regard.
Senior officials at the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Police Station told Pakistan Today that major streets and service roads were blocked by political parties as they wanted to keep their areas safe and secure. “No political party or individual ever seeks prior permission to install any barrier in their area,” an official said.
The same views were expressed by officials of the Aziz Bhatti Police when Pakistan Today asked them for their opinion on the matter.
