Blockade of roads by JUI-F challenged in PHC

PESHAWAR: A lawyer on Friday challenged the blockade of roads in different cities of the country by the workers of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) in the Peshawar High Court (PHC).

Shah Faisal Utmankhel moved the PHC pleading that the blockade of roads by the JUI-F workers in different cities was causing inconvenience to the general public. The JUI-F workers have been blocking the highways in various areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as part of the party's so-called "Plan B" of its protest campaign after winding up its 14-day sit-in in Islamabad.

The petitioner said the JUI-F leaders had told the court in a writ petition before the Islamabad protest sit-in that they would remain peaceful. "The party workers are now blocking roads, which is violation of the basic human rights," he argued.

The petitioner asked the PHC to stop the JUI-F from blocking highways and direct it to remain peaceful as per its commitment to the court recently.

The PHC last month had directed the KP government not to block the roads by placing containers for the workers of JUI-F and other opposition parties who were planning to take part in the Azadi March at Islamabad. The court also directed the JUI-F workers to remain peaceful.

A division bench of the PHC comprising Justice Ikramullah and Justice Waqar Ahmad on Friday sent notices to the leaders of the JUI-F to submit comments at the next hearing and directed them to honour their commitment made during the previous case.