PESHAWAR: A lawyer on Friday moved Peshawar High Court against `restrictions` on lawyers` entry to Peshawar Cantonment by law enforcing agencies.

Advocate Mohammad Rafiq has filed a petition requesting the court to declare as illegal and unconstitutional the ban on his entry and that of other members of legal fraternity of Peshawar to the cantonment area.

He sought directives of the court for the government to ensure free movement of lawyers throughout the cantonment.

He also sought interim relief requesting the court to suspend the restrictions on lawyers` movement in the cantonment till final disposal of the petition.

The petition filed through senior lawyer Ameenur Rehman Yousafzai included as respondents the federal defence secretary, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government through its chief secretary, Peshawar cantonment chief executive officer and KP Bar Council through its vice chairman.

The petitioner stated that all the major courts were located in the cantonment including the PHC, Supreme Court Peshawar Registry, Judicial Complex, district courts, KP Service Tribunal, anti-terrorism courts, revenue courts, consumer court, rent controller, etc.

He stated that the personnel of law enforcement agencies deployed inside the cantonment on the checkposts, established at every entry/exit points, had banned entry of lawyers tgo go through the area, which had badly affected the punctuality of lawyers.

He claimed that in certain courts including that of the SMBR (senior member board of revenue), they had not been allowed to enter the road where these were situated.

The petitioner contended that the state functionaries were duty bound to facilitate lawyers in approaching the courts of law to paly their part in dispensation of justice. He added that stopping the lawyers from entering the cantonment tantamount to depriving people from their fundamental right of access to justice.

He said the lawyers` community had always remained law abiding and had never compromised on fundamental rights of the citizens of Pakistan.

PHC BAR MEETING: An emergency meeting of PHC Bar Association, chaired by its president Fida Gul, was held on the issue of alleged restriction on lawyers` entrance to the cantonment.

The office bearers were informed that due to deteriorating security situation the authorities concerned had declared the cantonment as red zone and asked all the residents and non-resident s to produce the relevant entrance card for movement therein.

It was stated that few days ago certain lawyers had been stopped at one ofthe entrance checkpoints after which the president Fida Gul and general secretary Alam Khan Adenzai had held a meeting with the officers concerned of Peshawar Cantonment.

It was stated that following that meeting the situation had improved and no lawyer had been stopped on any entrance point since then.

Furthermore, to further save precious time of lawyers, the president and general secretary had also discussed the matter of issuance of the specific cards and e-tags for their vehicles.