The civil society on Tuesday challenged in Islamabad High Court (IHC) the alleged negligence of the government while talking considerable measures to cope with coronavirus pandemic that, the petitioner said, the government so for failed to take any appropriate decision to prevent further spread of this novel virus in the country.
Civil Society of Pakistan through counsel M Tariq Asad, Kalsoom Akhtar, Abdullah Tahir made federation of Pakistan, Prime Minister office, Syed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, Advisor to the Prime Minister, Cabinet Division Islamabad, Director General National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Islamabad as respondents.
The petitioner said that the petition is motivated by the conviction that the Corona virus (CV) is spreading all over the world, but the authorities concern in the country have not taken any considerable measures to remove the apprehensions of spreading of the ailment. Instead, the petition stated, due the virus is spreading all over the country to futile policies of the respondents.
While explaining, the petitioner said that the CV started in China where over 500 Pakistani students were studying, adding that the petitions are already filed in the high court. “The government of China sealed the whole city of Wuhan and saved not only the lives of residents therein, but also saved the lives of people of the countries to which they belonged and might be shifted”, the petitioner recalled.
The petitioner further stated that the Iran, on other hand, refused to allow the Pakistani Shia pilgrims to stay in Iran and facilitate them to conduct their tests and quarantine, but directed them to leave the country. “The government of Pakistan, too, failed to exercise their diplomatic privileges to convince the government of Iran to keep the pilgrims and provide them facilities required in the prevailing situation”, petitioner regretted. Consequently, it added, the pilgrims were shifted to different cities of Pakistan while since then there was no patient of CV in the country, but after they were shifted from Iran, the virus was transferred to the other citizens and spread.
The petition stated that while using political influence Zulfi Bukhari played the role to allow the pilgrims to cross the Taftan border and enter into country without completing the 14-day quarantine process in Iran.
It was alleged in that the government, unfortunately, instead of controlling the ailment is promoting it to spread in all the cities which are so for not infected. It is, therefore, advisable not to shift the pilgrims from Iran in the congested areas of other cities and be kept in remote areas to protect others.
In this backdrop, the petitioner alleged, the government has completely failed to take proper measures in time to control the ailment.
The Prime Minister, the petitioner recalled, while in his address to nation said that the country would not be locked up as it means curfew while very next day it was decided to lockup the whole country and stop free movements of the people and in order to implement this policy, the Armed Forces have been called under Article 245 of the Constitution in aid of Civil Power subject to law. It is thus revealed that the Prime Minister, Imran Khan is incompetent to perform the affairs of the government and may be forced to resign or removed in accordance with law.
The petitioner pleaded that the court may very graciously be pleased to direct the respondents to take inter alia to constitute a high level Judicial Commission to look into the matter and place the responsibility of recklessness as to who failed to perform their legal and constitutional obligations resulting the increase of CV patients and failing to take necessary measures in time.
The petitioner also requested for issuance of orders to the respondents not to shift the pilgrims from Iran in the congested areas of other cities like Faisalabad or Jhang and be kept in remote areas to protect others; hence in case they are shifted to Faisalabad or other cities, the respondents would be responsible and the effected people shall have right to sue them in the competent civil and criminal courts of law.
Besides this, the provision of masks and sanitizers at control/subsidized prices to the people should be ensured immediately.
