KARACHI - Following a sudden spike in coronavirus cases in the province, the Sindh home department has imposed a blanket ban on pillion riding citing misuse of permission given to female members of the family.
Under the new directives, exemptions for the law enforcement personnel, women, children and elderly citizens have been withdrawn.
“In view of implementation issues in the field and misuse of permission for pillion riding allowing female members of the family, a strict ban/restriction on pillion riding is imposed without any exception, whatsoever,” a notification issued on Saturday read.
The directive states that all previous exemptions in this regard have been withdrawn and no form of pillion riding is permitted.
The authorities took the step after several reports in the media suggested that police personnel were also violating the social distancing guidelines.
According to Sindh Home Department, all the officers and servicemen of Karachi Police will ensure the imposition of the ban and will take appropriate action against the violators.
Journalists, policemen, women, children and elderly citizens were previously exempted from the ban.
Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon directed the police ensure strict imposition of the ban. He warned of action against the ones violating it.
PTI expresses reservations over blanket ban on pillion riding
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Karachi Chapter President Khurrum Sher Zaman on Sunday expressed his reservations over the complete ban on pillion riding in the Sindh.
He said that the transport in the metropolis was not plying on the roads. If a female wanted to go from one place to another how she would travel over there, he asked the Sindh government, according to a press release issued here.
He demanded of the provincial government to exempt journalists and females from the pillion riding during the lockdown in the province.
Khurrum said that the provincial government should ease the lockdown. He said that the police in the name of lockdown beating up the people.
He said that the people had been limited to their homes and how long they would be asked to stay home as three weeks had passed to the lockdown.
He alleged that the lockdown seemed to be only on the arteries of the city and no implementation of the lockdown witnessed in streets and muhallas. He further said that the provincial government and police themselves were not complying with orders issued for the lockdown.
