PESHAWAR:The Peshawar High Court expressed strong displeasure over the closure of roads due to protests by PTI and ordered authorities to immediately initiate action, directing that all roads be reopened without delay and a report be submitted to the court.

The hearing was conducted on a petition filed against road blockages caused by PTI protests. Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Farah Jamshed presided over the case, while the Chief Secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Inspector General of Police appeared before the court.

During the proceedings, the Advocate General informed the bench that parliamentarians had gone to Islamabad to ensure implementation of a Supreme Court order.

The court remarked that Islamabad did not fall within its jurisdiction and instructed that action be initiated against those staging the protests.

Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed requested the court to grant two days’ time.

However, the court rejected the request, directing authorities to begin action from today instead of seeking further delay.

The bench observed that it was unfortunate that the ruling party was causing inconvenience to its own people.

Counsel for the petitioner informed the court that two individuals had died on the way due to road closures caused by PTI protests.

The court remarked that perhaps those deaths might not seem important to the protesters and stressed that under no circumstances should the motorway be blocked.

The bench further directed that no protests be allowed anywhere in Peshawar, noting that due to road closures, children were unable to leave their homes.

The court questioned the IG about how many days the roads had remained blocked. The IG responded that protests were initially taking place at 16 points, which had now been reduced to 10.

The bench asked whether blocking roads did not constitute a violation of the law.

The IG stated that motorway-related matters fall under the jurisdiction of motorway police and that action is taken once a formal reference is received from them.

The court observed that no one could leave Peshawar due to the closures and referred to worsening law and order incidents across the province, asking how many individuals had been proceeded against so far.

IG Zulfiqar Hameed reiterated that without a reference from motorway police, action could not be taken.

Justice Ijaz Anwar remarked that when a single road is blocked, the entire city of Peshawar comes to a standstill, adding that traffic personnel are often absent at key points.

The IG responded that the Safe City project was in its final stages, to which the court commented that there appeared to be no proper traffic management system across the province.

The high court also questioned the Chief Secretary regarding what measures had been taken so far, observing that authorities use 3 MPO to detain individuals when necessary.

The bench noted that people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were facing hardship, while incidents of unrest were occurring across districts, calling it unfortunate that the ruling party was troubling its own citizens.

The court ultimately ordered that all roads be reopened immediately and that a compliance report be submitted by tomorrow.

Later, speaking to media, the IG of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police stated that following the court’s orders, roads would be reopened and legal action would be taken against those responsible for blocking them.

When asked specifically whether PTI workers were behind the closures, the IG responded that action would be taken against whoever was found responsible in accordance with the court’s directives, adding that law and order remains a challenge and the police are working to address it.