Karachi:Pasban Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Altaf Shakoor on Thursday filed an application in the Sindh High Court (SHC) for urgent hearing, seeking quash of FIRs against more than 2000 drivers who were booked for wrong-way driving.
Earlier, on January 29, 2020 Altaf Shakoor had filed a constitutional petition in the SHC, in which Making province of Sindh though chief secretary, Home Secretary, IGP Sindh, DIG Traffic Karachi respondents, the petitioner submitted that traffic police were illegally, unconstitutionally arresting citizens on the alleged accusation of driving on wrong side of roads. He said the traffic police have also impound the vehicles, issues/cut challans of huge fines and also arrest the drivers and hand them over at the police station for lodging of FIRs under Section 279 PPC.
On February 4, 2020, PDP chairman had filed an application, seeking urgent hearing of his petition.
In his original petition, Altaf Shakoor had maintained that the Traffic Police have forcibly challaned thousands of citizens and imposed fine of tens of millions of rupees. That the Traffic Police Karachi also handed over a large number of persons to the relevant police stations and lodged FIRs against them.
The petitioner said that saving Karachi, in the entire Sindh not a single FIR against the alleged wrong-side driving has been lodged in any other districts/divisions/town/cities.
The petitioner said that many people did not have even registered their vehicles in Sindh or display number plates on their vehicles and such vehicles are being plied on the roads. He said the police and traffic police, themselves, have encroached many areas by putting and constructing illegal chowkis on the roads/footpaths, roundabouts and on road divisions and also give permission to the encroachers to park their pushcarts and ‘Thelas’ on roads and foot-path and side-roads and streets against bribery.
The petitioner said the Government of Sindh completely blocked some roads around Sindh Secretariat and on backside near S.M. Law College for traffic.
He said the police and the traffic police and other security agencies and protocols of government of Sindh and ministers deliberately, malafidely and willingly uses the wrong side of the road intentionally but not a single Challan or case or FIR has been lodged against the high ups.
He said that without giving proper infrastructure and facility, the police cannot register the FIR against the innocent public who are managing their journey to their destinations. He said the traffic police have started a business in the name of lifting motorcycles and motorcars without suitably arranging any space for parking and the poor public visiting the government offices/High Court/Regional Passport Office Saddar, Karachi, NADRA Office suffer from lifting of their vehicles and pay huge fines for their release.
The petitioner had prayed that in the larger interest of the province of the general public the honorable court may declare the act of registration of the FIRs under Section 279 PPC against the citizens/commuters null and void.
On Thursday when the court heard the application for urgent hearing of original petition, PDP chairman filed another application seeking to quash FIRs lodged against citizens for wrong way driving. The court set February 20 for hearing of the application, issuing notice to advocate general and prosecutor general to file their comments.
Later, talking to media outside the SHC premises, PDP Chairman Altaf Shakoor accompanied by his lawyer Irfan Aziz said traffic and road infrastructure in the megacity is in poor shape and citizens should avoid wrong-way driving and instead should follow all traffic laws and rules and prove them law-abiding citizens.