Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday ordered the reopening of all shopping malls across the country during a bandh imposed to prevent a coronavirus epidemic.
A five-member bench of the Supreme Court was filing a lawsuit about the measures taken against the outbreak of the virus.
The bench was headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed, while Justice Omar Ata Bandial, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Sajjad Ali Shah and Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed were also on the bench.
The court said in its orders that shopping malls and markets should be open seven days a week. During the hearing today, Pakistan's Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed remarked that shopkeepers would die of starvation rather than coronaviruses if the shops were closed. '
CJP Ahmed said that operations have resumed in every market except five big malls in Karachi. To which, Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shalwani said that some markets were sealed for not following the standard operating procedures laid down by the government.
The head judge said, 'Sealed markets should be opened and they should understand the situation and the SOP rather than intimidating shop owners.'
The CJP noted that SOPs would be 'better implemented' in large shopping malls. The top court also ordered that all small markets be open to the public on weekends.
Supreme Court expressed disappointment over the NDMA report
The apex court called the report submitted by the NDMA unsatisfactory, saying that the country's resources were being used 'unfairly'. 'Why hasn't our country gained the capability to build its test kit?' He told the representative of NDMA.
To which the NDMA official replied that the Health Ministry can give a better response in the case. The CJP objected that no proper details existed regarding the expenditure of funds for anti-money measures.
The CJP commented that the people of the country were not 'servants' of the central and provincial governments, stating that citizens are being held 'hostage in the name of quarantine'.
The apex judge told the authority's representative that the authority if the people are guaranteed in the constitution and the government, is not 'favoring' anyone by rendering their services.
The top court took up the case to review the measures taken by the central and provincial governments to prevent the spread of the virus among the people.
So far the top court has called on the officials of local government set up in the provinces, NDMA, Health Department, and cities to present a report on the implementation of the policy and measures.
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