NCHR takes suo-moto notice of mal-administration by twin cities officials

Islamabad :The National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) on Thursday took suo-moto notice of the poor planning by the city administration that led to forced shut-down of the twin cities.

In this regard, a notice has been served to the administrations, Secretary Interior Ministry, IG Islamabad, Chief Commissioner Islamabad, and Chief Commissioner Rawalpindi District, and the case is fixed for hearing in NCHR on November 22. 

A statement issued by the NCHR Chairperson Justice (r) Ali Nawaz Chowhan in this regard says that recurring traffic jams and the closure of roads without planning has now become a regular feature for commuters travelling between Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

“People are forced to wait in long queues, which is not only causing pollution but also causing life risks for people who may not be well. Colossal public time is being wasted. Mal-administration is rampant and prima-facie the administrations of the twin cities seem to be totally oblivious to public complaints. As this constitutes a human rights violation in many ways, the commission is taking suo-moto notice after having observed the grave situation in the past two days.”

The commission has also objected to the temporary suspension of Metro Bus Service without any alternate arrangement or diversion in place. “In addition, schools and colleges have been closed, which is no solution nor does it answer, reasonably, the question of mal-administration on part of the administration.

How does a citizen feel when he’s not sure that he will reach the office in time or his children will return home promptly after school hours? Life is brought to a standstill on account of sheer lack of planning and vision.

This cannot be allowed to continue and those responsible should be held accountable for paralysis of traffic system and their failure to remedy the situation,” says the statement. It stresses the need for a democratic environment where protests are allowed to raise voices of concern. “For democracy to flourish, the civil society must be allowed to protest for voicing their concerns and fighting for constitutionally protected rights.

This does not entail allowing the complete seizure of daily activities, restricting access to roads, or impeding the freedom of movement of its citizens.” The commission says that it is the constitutional responsibility of the Government to institute formal mechanisms, and to properly implement the existing ones in order to ensure the safety and security of its citizenry.