Sindh High Court undoes ban on Motorcycle in Karachi

In what appeared to be an unprecedented move, the Sindh High Court (SHC) revoked a ban on riding motorcycles in Karachi just hours after Interior Minister Rehman Malik announced that the government was banning motorcycles in Karachi and Quetta for one day.

The minister banned the motorbikes in view of serious security threats on the first day of the Islamic month of Muharram.

The minister while addressing a press conference said that motorbikes would not be allowed on roads from 6am to 7pm in Karachi and Quetta on Friday, adding that no one would be exempted.

He said his ministry had received information that motorcycles would be used in terrorist attacks. “The decision to keep bikers off the road has come on the heels of intelligence reports that terrorists are hatching plans to carry out attacks using motorcycles,” he added.

The minister was of the opinion that the government was considering shutting down mobile phone services in Karachi and Quetta, adding that the decision to this effect will be made at the eleventh hour.

The Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) moved an application before the court, asking the top judge of the province to annul the order as it is in violation of the basic rights of citizens.

Chief Justice Sindh High Court Justice Musheer Alam, however, suspended the orders of ban on riding motorcycle in Karachi The court admitted a petition and ordered the interior secretary, advocate general and the provincial police chief to appear in court at 11am on Friday.

Rehman Malik has come under severe criticism for ordering suspension of mobile phone services across the country “for security reasons” on more than one occasion. Cellular services were first suspended on Eidul Fitr and then on Eidul Azha, prompting protests from citizens and cellular companies.

Critics say that the interior minister is coming up with such unprecedented measures to conceal his inefficiency and incompetence, as instead of cracking down on terrorist networks, the Interior Ministry and its subordinate agencies are resorting to infringing the rights of citizens.

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Posted by Web Desk on Nov 16 2012. Filed under Latest News, National, Pakistan. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.