The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday sought written reply from the federal government about the decision related to railway operation taken in the National Command and Control Authority meeting in the wake of the coronavirus.
A division bench of the SHC also asked the federal government to submit the details of the meeting of the National Command and Control Authority when it resumed hearing in a petition seeking resumption of railway and public transport in the country.
Additional Advocate General of Sindh Jawad Dero told the court that the meeting of the National Command and Control Authority didn't agree on resuming the railway and public transport in the country due to the prevailing conditions caused by the coronavirus in the country when Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar asked when would the government open railway and public transport.
In earlier hearing, the SHC had issued notices to the railways ministry and other parties in a petition regarding the suspension of Pakistan Railways operations.
The petitioner's counsel contended that the suspension of public transport and railway operations during the coronavirus crisis had left people stranded in various locations across the country, and those having no other means of transport tried to return to their hometowns using trucks were arrested by the police.
The counsel argued that the government was operating special flights to repatriate Pakistanis stranded abroad, adding that even the borders had been opened to allow pilgrims to return. The petitioner said that the stranded people did not have jobs and were worried about feeding themselves.
He said that it was Ramazan, with Eidul Fitr approaching, and asked the court to order special train operations to allow these people to return home.
Meanwhile, the SHC issued notices to the federal and provincial health authorities as well as public and private hospitals on a petition seeking the issuance of directions to health facilities to provide first aid to every patient without first asking them to produce their COVID-19 test report.
Advocates Asim Iqbal and Nadeem Sheikh filed the petition in the SHC saying that all public and private hospitals are duty-bound to provide basic emergency medical care, and that the injured and other patients have the right to receive such treatment as well.
They submitted that it has been noticed that during the COVID-19 crisis, whenever a patient approaches a doctor or a hospital in an emergency situation, even if it is unrelated to the novel coronavirus, medical professionals available at clinics or other health facilities avoid providing them first aid.
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