May 25 Azadi March: KP cabinet to take action against highways blockades

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Thursday decided to take action against the blockade of all highways and roads from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the federal capital and Punjab on May 25 during the “Azadi March”.

Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said in a media briefing that the legal and constitutional rights of citizens and KP province were violated on May 25 by blocking all small and big highways, leading to the federal capital and disconnecting roads links to other cities of the country.

He said the KP government considered it an unconstitutional act that had resulted in inconvenience to the citizens, traders and the institutions.

Barrister Saif added that the provincial government believed that such an “illegal” act could be repeated in the future, therefore, the KP cabinet had decided to exercise its constitutional right.

The special assistant said under Article 15 of the Constitution, the right to communication and movement and Article 16, the right to the political gathering of the citizens were violated on May 25 by the federation which had control of all the highways and motorways and it ordered illegal use of police force, including use of tear gas and violence against peaceful workers trying to remove blockades from roads.

Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said these blockades created a shortage of oxygen supply to KP hospitals while the constitutional right of inter-provincial trade was violated by the federal government by stopping the vehicles carrying trade goods.

He said the cabinet noted that the federal government misused its power by registering First Information Reports against the KP chief minister and other provincial ministers, adding KP cabinet had empowered the chief minister to take a decision to this effect.

The special assistant said a two-member cabinet committee was constituted to chalk out a future line of action, adding the issue could be raised at the platform of courts and in the upper House of Parliament (Senate).