The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday adjourned a petition seeking permission to reopen parks, clubs, and other public places closed as part of preventive measures to stem the spread of the coronavirus. The citizens not only in Sindh but also in other provinces were waiting to know are parks and clubs going to be opened in Sindh.
Sindh Govt extends Lockdown till 30th June.
Educational Institutions, Marriage halls, business centers, sports clubs, gyms, restaurants/cafe, parks, cinemas, large gatherings, Tourism/tourists shall be closed.
Public transport may open after the meeting. pic.twitter.com/HSLC2CtmJV
— Bilal Ahmed' (@BilalAhmedxx) June 1, 2020
Justice Umar Siyal of the SHC, hearing the petition, remarked the court cannot issue directives for reopening parks and other public places. “What do you think? Does the government has enmity with its people,” he questioned, pointing to the petitioner.
He said the government has closed all these places in public interest and welfare. “If we open a park and a 70-year-old person loses his life, then the government will be blamed [for it],” the judge said.
The hearing was adjourned until July 16.
Addressing a press conference after a meeting of the National Coordination Committee the previous day, Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced to open more sectors of the economy, including tourism to minimise negative effects of the lockdown on the country’s 25% population living below the poverty line.
Read More: Surging covid-19 cases in Sindh, what next for Sindh govt?
“Over 50 million people in Pakistan cannot afford two times meal if they do not go to work. We have a totally different situation when compared with other countries like China, the United States and Europe,” he maintained.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday turned down a plea for permission to open parks and other recreational spots across the province on the occasion of Eidul Fitr. An LHC bench headed by Chief Justice Qasim Khan was hearing the constitutional petition seeking directives for the provincial authorities to allow parks and recreational spots to open during the Eid holidays.
‘Do you ask me for a license to kill children?’
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday turned down a plea for permission to open parks and other recreational spots across the province on the occasion of Eidul Fitr. An LHC bench headed by Chief Justice Qasim Khan was hearing the constitutional petition seeking directives for the provincial authorities to allow parks and recreational spots to open during the Eid holidays.
The judge also asked if the petitioner wanted the court to issue a license to kill children across the province. “Do you ask me for a license to kill children,” the top high court judge asked the litigant. Therefore, the LHC rejects plea seeking reopening of parks, it added.
It is worth noting that the apex court not only ordered the reopening of shopping malls but also noted that Pakistan “is not … seriously affected” by Covid-19 and that there is no pandemic in the country. However, Pakistan has had at least 43,966 confirmed cases and more than 900 deaths since March, and the numbers keep rising. At least 500 Pakistani healthcare workers have been infected too, which shows that the country has been hit by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Read More: COVID-19: Is Sindh government going to enforce smart lockdown?
Notably, experts in Pakistan have warned against the premature easing of lockdown restrictions, fearing an exponential rise in infections. One healthcare worker said: “Everyone’s scared and exhausted. But we are fighting, we are pushing the limits. All we ask is that the government and people understand that they can help us help them by staying at home and providing us quality protective gear.”