By Hamid Khan Wazir
ISLAMABAD: Keeping in view the alarming upsurge in cases of the Coronavirus, the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) has requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed to impose a ban on public gatherings across the Country.
“As your lordship knows that Article 9 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan gives protection to the health and safety of the public at large, therefore, the government has to provide better health facilities to the general public. As we observe that such facilities are not up to the mark even in normal conditions, rendering it nearly impossible to cater to such a deadly pandemic. Hence, it is requested and very humbly submitted, that being the custodian of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and while exercising the powers under article 184(3), suo motu notice may kindly be taken while imposing a ban upon every kind of public gathering in the larger interest”, wrote Chaudhry Muhammad Arshad Bajwa, Vice President (Punjab) in his letter to the CJP on behalf of the SCBA.
According to the SCBA VP, the second wave is deceptive in numbers but having a more fatality rate while this deception is hindering in taking the firm steps to safeguard the people of Pakistan. This relaxing attitude at the time of giving the final blow to such menaces by even adding political confusion to the nationally and globally agreed-upon issues is already reflective of an ongoing struggle to eradicate polio and bring down the population growth rate. Now if the COVID-19 pandemic also enters that lingering phase, it will prove to be the last nail in the coffin of the already gasping health system of Pakistan.
In the context of these facts and figures and for the safety and the health of the people of Pakistan, I, being the Vice President (Punjab) of Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan, and on behalf of the 23rd Executive of SCBAP, feel greatly concerned that our political leadership, inside or outside the government, are continuously conducting public gatherings while neglecting the prevailing pandemic situation in the country. If the situation prevails for long, the gravity of COVID infections shall accelerate, which will again cause a severe financial crunch in the shape of lockdown or closure of businesses.
Moreover, if we are constrained to face this situation, our country is bound to lag in the world economy.
