LAHORE: Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Sunday ordered authorities in Punjab to remove all “encroachments” in the provincial capital Lahore by midnight.
Security agencies had erected barricades in front of public offices and residences of high-profile individuals living in the city, including politicians, bureaucrats and police officers.
Chief Justice Saqib Nisar rejected the provincial government’s argument that the barricades were needed to protect notable individuals, saying other security measures should be adopted that do not violate the rights of Lahore’s residents. Following the court order, police removed all barricades throughout the city.
“Life has become easier for all motorists” since the removal of the barricades, Shafiq Chaudhry, a resident of the town of Qila Gujjar Singh, told Arab News.
“It used to take me 10 minutes to cover the area where the police had installed the barricades. Today, I traveled the same distance in 30 seconds.”
Students hailed the removal of barricades outside the office of the Inspector General Police, which is situated near some of the best educational institutes in Lahore.
“I want to dance on the road in front of the police office,” Saadia Khan, a student of the National College of Arts, told Arab News. “I never thought I’d be able to experience a hassle-free ride on this road.”
Deputy Inspector General Dr. Haider Ashraf said barricades had been removed from 16 locations in Lahore, in compliance with the court order. “The traffic is running smoothly in most of the areas now,” he added.
Minivan driver Talib Hussain told Arab News: “Sometimes we’d wait more than 30 minutes to pass through one crossing in the city, (but) traffic is flowing quite smoothly across the city since its roads have been cleared of unnecessary hurdles.”
Pakistan Supreme Court orders removal of all barricades in Lahore
Pakistan Supreme Court orders removal of all barricades in Lahore
Death toll in Pakistan wedding suicide blast rises to six
- Attack targeted members of local peace committee in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan
- Peace committees are community-based groups that report militant activity to security forces
PESHAWAR: The death toll from a suicide bombing at a wedding ceremony in northwestern Pakistan rose to six, police said on Saturday, after funeral prayers were held for those killed in the attack a day earlier.
The bomber detonated explosives during a wedding gathering in the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, injuring more than a dozen, some of them critically.
“The death toll has surged to six,” said Nawab Khan, Superintendent of Police for Saddar Dera Ismail Khan. “Police have completed the formalities and registered the case against unidentified attackers.”
“It was a suicide attack and the Counter Terrorism Department will further investigate the case,” he continued, adding that security had been stepped up across the district to prevent further incidents.
No militant group has claimed responsibility for the blast so far.
Khan cautioned against speculation, citing ongoing militancy in the area, and said the investigation was being treated with “utmost seriousness.”
The explosion targeted the home of a member of a local peace committee, which is part of community-based groups that cooperate with security forces and whose members have frequently been targeted by militants in the past.
Some media reports also cited a death toll of seven, quoting police authorities.
Emergency officials said several of the wounded were taken to hospital soon after the blast.
Militant attacks have intensified in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa since the Taliban returned to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021, with Islamabad accusing Afghan authorities of “facilitating” cross-border assaults, a charge Kabul denies.
