Daily Times

Chief Justice Saqib Nisar on Thursday rejected the Defence Ministry’s explanation on why the Shahra-i-Suharwardy at Aabpara junction remains closed despite court orders.

The Ministry of Defence’s representative told the apex court that it had handed over the road to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) but that some maintenance work was still going on.

CDA roads director, meanwhile, apprised the court that one side of the road was given to the CDA but “that the other was kept by the ministry due to security concerns”.

“Since double-side traffic cannot flow through a single side, we are expanding it,” said the CDA official.

“It means that our orders were not acted upon,” an irked Justice Saqib Nisar remarked. “We have got all the roads in Pakistan cleared. They are such special people that they were given exemptions. No one will be given exemptions.”

The court directed the CDA to submit an application stating that it has not been given the control of both the sides of the road and also attach pictures with it.

The Supreme Court had taken notice of the sealing off of the Shahra-i-Suharwardy at Aabpara junction in March last year.

In October 2018, the apex court had given the Inter-Services Intelligence another four weeks to reopen the artery, which the agency had closed in 2008 after terrorist attacks on several important government buildings. The extension had come following the lapse of a two-month deadline granted by the court in July 2018.

“Blocking of main roads in the name of security cannot be allowed,” the CJP had said, adding that everyone is equal before the law.

Published in Daily Times, January 4^th 2019.