PHC seeks report from govt on banning women cycle rally

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday sought a report from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Peshawar district governments in a petition against the ban on the women cycle rally in the provincial capital.

A division bench headed by Justice Roohul Amin Khan sought the report from the chief secretary, secretary Home and Peshawar deputy commissioner within three days. It fixed March 5 for the next hearing into the case.

After Additional Advocate General, Syed Sikandar Shah, put forth arguments to defend the government for the ban, Justice Roohul Amin Khan observed that the government may ban the people from hospitals and other public places in future on the call of those who had warned of banning the women cycle rally if government surrendered its writ to them.

He remarked that the government should first amend the Constitution that guaranteed equal rights to every citizen including women and then impose a ban on such fundamental rights of women in the name of culture and traditions.

The bench was hearing the writ petition, filed by a non-governmental organisation, Pak Development Mission. It had challenged the decision of Peshawar district’s administration to bar it from holding a bicycle rally for women, last month. The NGO requested the court to help hold the event.

The organisation had filed a petition in the high court, requesting the court to declare illegal and unconstitutional the act of the district administration.

It prayed the court to direct the government and district administration to facilitate and provide adequate security to organise the ‘Cycle Rally for Females’ as per terms of permission previously granted by the administration on January 11, 2019, on a date mutually agreed between the petitioner and the administration.

The petitioner prayed the court to direct the government and administration to take strict action against those threatening organisers and participants for a lawful activity.

During arguments, Barrister Masroor Shah submitted before the court to order the government to allow and provide security to the women rally.

The bicycle rally was scheduled for January 19 but it was cancelled after the Majlis Ulema-i-Hayatabad, a body of clerics and prayer leaders of all mosques in the area,

and other religious groups, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan, had termed the event promotion of vulgarity and obscenity in the society and announced to stage a protest near the venue for the event to force the administration to ban it.

The petitioner organisation is duly registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, and is engaged in endeavours for the women’s emancipation and transgender persons’ mainstreaming.

It said it contemplated to organise the ‘Cycle Rally for Females’ on January 19 in Hayatabad, Peshawar, for which formal permission was sought from the Peshawar deputy commissioner.

The petitioner said after thorough scrutiny and taking into account all aspects connected therewith, the deputy commissioner had duly granted it permission through a letter on January 11 which was later cancelled.