The ‘dharna’ phenomenon has assumed almost a culture, with groups of people blocking the roads and highways for several hours thus disrupting the traffic and causing unbearable problems for people at large. It is suggested that some places be reserved for these ‘dharna’ in every city like the ‘Hyde park’ of London where they can vent their emotional protests without disturbing public peace and tranquility. This would require a law to be framed to prohibit ‘dharna’s’ on thoroughfares that suspends all public activities including students going to schools and patients going to hospitals. Such restrictions created by ‘dharna’s’ also violate Article 15 of the Constitution that states ‘Every citizen shall have the right to remain in, and, subject to reasonable restriction imposed by law in public interest, enter and move freely throughout Pakistan and to reside and settle in any part thereof.’
DR. MUHAMMAD YAQOOB BHATTI,
Lahore, March 2.