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Freedom of movement
Thus far and no farther - Islamabad September 2, 2012
for freedom of movement. The shortage of fuel and strikes particularly by the
sellers of compressed natural gas (CNG) meant that everyday mode of
transportation remained affected throughout the year. The Pakistan Railways
experienced a steady decline in the year 2012, with a very high number of
trains cancelled, rescheduled and train routes discontinued. This had a direct
bearing on the ability to move freely for a large segment of the population.
Incidents of sectarian violence in Gilgit Baltistan and Balochistan, where
passengers were offloaded from buses on public highways, their sectarian
affiliations ascertained from the identification cards and then they were shot
dead, meant that certain highways, including the one connecting Kurram Agency
in FATA to the rest of the country, remained no-go areas for a sizable percentage
of the population for much of the year. Similarly, the convoys of the Shia
pilgrims going to Iran via Balochistan were repeatedly attacked. The Shia
Hazara community in Balochistan in particular was forced to confine itself to
just a couple of localities in Quetta and to restrict its movement as much as
possible to escape growing targeted attacks. The security situation in many
agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) effectively made
them no-go areas for people from other parts of the country, and at times for
FATA residents as well.
Banned entry
In Moharram, the Punjab government barred 929 clerics from entering
Punjab whereas 439 clerics were banned from making speeches. These bans
were imposed ostensibly to prevent provocative speeches during the month of
Moharram. Out of around 35 districts in Punjab, 19 were declared sensitive
and 118,308 police officials were deployed throughout the province to provide
security to Moharram processions. Similar bans were also imposed in Sindh