The Islamabad High Court on Thursday directed authorities to address the grievances of street vendors after they filed a petition against the removal of their stalls. Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan heard the case, with advocates Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha representing the vendors.
The petitioners alleged that vendors operating with valid licences were being forcibly removed from their locations by authorities. During the hearing, the court criticised the lack of coordination between the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI), the Capital Development Authority (CDA), and the traffic police. “This is not a legal issue but a matter of coordination,” Justice Khan remarked.
The court questioned why small-scale vendors, who earn meagre incomes, had to approach the court for their rights. It expressed concern over the delay in issuing licences, with applications pending for two years. Advocate Imaan Mazari presented video evidence showing street vendors being removed despite having permits.
She alleged that authorities demanded bribes and targeted those who refused to pay. The assistant commissioner told the court that action was only taken against unlicensed vendors. However, the court observed that authorities had failed to act on vendors’ applications for two years. The court instructed the CDA, MCI, and traffic police to coordinate and resolve the issue. It directed the authorities to present a resolution plan in the next hearing, scheduled for one week later.
