Many DHA, Clifton roads off-limits for public

Karachi
Citizens have been denied access to several streets of Defence and Clifton for the security of former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf, the British High Commission, President Mamnoon Hussain and the Inter-Services Intelligence’s office, the Karachi commissioner told the Sindh High Court on Tuesday.
The court was hearing petitions against street barriers, encroachments and the closure of roads near the provincial assembly building during its sessions.
The petitioners, Rana Faizul Hasan and Agha Syed Attaullah Shah, submitted that several roads of the city had been closed by placing street barriers, causing inconvenience to the citizens and restricting their right to free movement.
They said armed men were guarding the entry and exit points of different areas and questioning the citizens before letting them in.
They said 70 percent of the link roads of Jamshed Town, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, North Nazimabad Town, New Karachi, Liaquatabad Town, Korangi Town, Landhi Town, Clifton and other areas had been closed by placing barriers.
The petitioners said every citizen had a right to free movement.
They added that the law enforcement agencies had failed to perform their duties despite the Supreme Court’s clear instructions that street barriers should be removed.
In compliance with the court’s orders, Karachi commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui filed a report containing a list of roads blocked for general public by placing barriers.
According to the report, the Khayaban-e-Tauheed has been blocked for the security of former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharaf.
The front side of Shahrah-e-Iran has been closed for the security of the British High Commission and only residents are allowed to use it.
The 28 crossing, 7-A crossing and 29 crossing of Street 7-A of Badar Commercial Area have been with cement and iron barricades for the security of President Mamnoon Hussain’s house.
The 5th central lane in DHA phase-II has been blocked for the security of the office of the Inter-Services Intelligence.
Kamal Ataturk Road has been blocked for the Sindh Secretariat while a service road in Mauripur is off limits for the citizens for the security of Rangers 93 Wing office.
The DHA has blocked 4th, 5th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 17th, 19th and 20th streets in Defence over security concerns.
The Karachi commissioner requested the court to grant him further time so that he could compile a list of other blocked roads.
An SHC division bench headed by Justice Nadeem Akhtar granting him time adjourned the hearing till March 10.
The high court has already directed the Sindh government to ensure that
security measures for state dignitaries, foreign diplomats and others did not affect the citizens’ right of freedom of movement.