KARACHI: Pillion ban to be lifted on 30th, City Council told
By Latif Baloch
KARACHI, Nov 25: Amid walkout by opposition members in the City Council Karachi on Saturday, Convenor Nasreen Jalil announced that the ban on pillion riding would be lifted on November 30 and that no one caught violating the ban would be sent to jail in future.
The opposition staged a walkout when it was denied permission to take up the issue of pillion riding by presenting its identical resolutions calling for an immediate lifting of the ban.
It termed the presiding officer’s attitude ‘aggressive’, but a calm and well-composed convenor told the protesting members that she would not succumb to their pressure.
She maintained that she had to deal with the opposition’s onslaught strictly because of its negative approach and in order to uphold and maintain dignity of the house.
The resolutions had been submitted by the opposition in the previous sitting of the session but the convenor, Ms Jalil had ruled that since the issue did not fall under the ambit of the city district government Karachi, it was pertinent to seek the views of relevant authorities on the issue. The opposition, not satisfied by her contention, had continued to insist on holding a debate on the resolution, prompting the chair to adjourn the session for a week.
On Saturday again, when the house resumed its session, opposition members tried to raise the issue and get the resolutions discussed. Pre-empting any repeat of the rumpus, the convener told the house that she had contacted Adviser to the CM on Home Waseem Akhtar this morning and was informed that the ban had been imposed as part of the security measures taken for the peaceful holding of the defence exhibition, Ideas 2006, in the city. She said that the adviser had assured her that the ban on pillion riding would be lifted on November 30.
Referring to the public sufferings caused by the ban, she pointed out that it was not applicable to journalists, women, elderly citizens and children. She further assured the house that in future, no one would be sent to prison for violating the ban unless he was suspected of having involved in some criminal activity.
After making the announcement, she expressed the hope that the opposition would no more seek a debate on the issue, and asked members to take up the normal agenda.