The Sindh High Court expressed its displeasure over the failure of the authorities to keep the city roads open during the Pakistan Super League matches.
Traffic East SP Farah Umbreen and the home ministry have been issued contempt notices in the case.
Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar heard the case and said that traffic jams shouldn’t be reported in the city because of the tournament. Petitioner Aziz Fatima, the media coordinator of the Pasban Democratic Party, said that 22-year-old Usama died on the way to the hospital because of the traffic jam. The closure is causing people “pain and suffering”. The police had assured the court that Karachi roads won’t be blocked.
The roads from the Central Jail to Nipa and Sir Shah Suleman Road heading from New Town to Dalmia (Aga Khan Hospital Road) have been blocked by containers. “The policemen on the roads have been restraining vehicles and public from movement,” she said.
“They said neither these roads are blocked at the moment nor they will be blocked during the PSL”, she said.
They had, however, said that some security arrangements have been made for a “limited period of time” for the arrival and departure of players.
The constitutional petition was filed by Fatima’s lawyer Advocate Irfan Aziz on January 27 against the roads being blocked during the visit of the South African team to Pakistan.
The city has been paralysed because of the cordoning of all roads near the National Stadium from 8am to 8pm during the cricket series. “This is affecting the routine life of citizens and is, thus, a violation of the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan,” she added.
The petitioner said that the Supreme Court said in its judgement in the Islamabad dharna case that no road should be blocked under any circumstance.
