The Sindh High Court has dismissed a lawyer’s plea challenging the Sindh government’s plan to block unvaccinated people’s SIM cards.
According to reports citing sources, Karachi-based Advocate Sohail Ahmed filed a petition with the Sindh High Court on Friday, claiming that the government cannot impose its decision on the public and that it is the people’s option not to get immunized against the unique virus.
While criticizing the request, Justice Shafi Muhammad Siddiqui of the SHC asked how someone could call for such laws when the country is in the grip of a pandemic. The judge further compares the Covid-affected person to a public “walking bomb.”
The court also ordered the petitioner to notify the government about residents’ SIM cards being blocked. He failed to do so because the government hasn’t made any such notifications. It’s simply a proposal for now.
The petition was ultimately dismissed, and the petitioner was fined Rs25,000 for filing a frivolous petition and wasting the court’s time.
On July 23, the Sindh government requested that the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) block unvaccinated mobile phone users’ SIM cards and social media accounts.
To make the Covid vaccine mandatory for all citizens, Ahmed said the government would have to pass a law or an ordinance. The public cannot be forced to acquire the vaccine without legislation endorsed by elected officials. Without legislation, people are not obligated to obey administrative directives, he noted.
