PHC seeks reply in petition against ban on lawyers’ entry in cantt

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday issued a notice to the Cantonment Chief executive officer (CEO) seeking a response on a petition filed against the ban on lawyers’ vehicles entering the cantonment board area.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Khurshid Iqbal heard the petition. Petitioner Rafiq Mohmand’s lawyer Aminur Rehman, vice-chairman of the Pakistan Bar Council Ahmad Farooq Khattak, leader of Malgari Wakeelan Fazal Wahid, additional advocate general representing the provincial government, and deputy attorney general representing the federal government appeared in the court.

The court was informed that lawyers had been barred from entering the cantonment area.Justice Syed Arshad Ali inquired whether this restriction applied to a single lawyer or all lawyers. The petitioner’s lawyer responded that lawyers had been explicitly told that they would not be allowed entry and that this ban applied to the entire legal community.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council Vice-chairman told the court that previously, lawyers were allowed entry into the cantonment area for case hearings upon presenting their bar council cards, but this was no longer the case.

Justice Syed Arshad Ali remarked that if only lawyers were being denied entry, it was inappropriate. He then asked the federal representative about the policy behind this decision and whether it was implemented as part of a broader policy or for another reason.

In response, the DAG said that he would gather information regarding the policy, but it was essential to obtain comments from the Cantonment Board, as they had the authority to enforce such regulations.

During the proceedings, the Bar Council’s lawyer requested that lawyers be allowed to enter the cantonment area with their bar council cards until a final verdict was reached.Justice Arshad Ali responded that an order could only be issued once a clear policy was presented before the court. He also noted that sometimes such issues arise individually, but the petitioners maintained that the entry restriction was imposed on all lawyers and that they had been instructed to obtain a cantonment sticker for entry.The court then issued a notice to the Cantonment Executive Officer of Peshawar, seeking a response on the matter.