QUETTA: In a significant move addressing a critical public health and dignity issue, women social activists from Quetta have filed a petition in the Balochistan High Court BHC against the acute lack of public toilets on the province’s national highways.
The petition highlights a daily ordeal faced by thousands of passengers, particularly women, children, and the elderly, who travel across the vast and often remote landscapes of Balochistan. The absence of basic sanitation facilities turns necessary journeys into experiences of severe discomfort and health risks. The petitioners argue that this neglect violates the fundamental rights of citizens to dignity and access to basic public amenities.
According to the plea, a large number of people use these highways daily, yet the responsible authorities have consistently failed to provide this essential infrastructure. The petitioners stated that despite repeatedly bringing this issue to the attention of the relevant departments through complaints and appeals, their concerns have been ignored, and the problem remains unresolved.
Seeking judicial intervention, the activists have made the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) of the Planning and Development Department, the Secretary for Communications, and other concerned officials parties to the petition. This legal action forces the government to formally respond to the allegations and present a plan to address the widespread grievance.
The case shines a light on a long-ignored aspect of public welfare in the province. If the court rules in favor of the petitioners, it could mandate the construction and maintenance of public restrooms along major transit routes, significantly improving the travel experience and upholding the basic rights of all citizens, especially women and children, in Balochistan.
Meanwhile the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in Quetta has made significant arrests in a case involving a sophisticated scheme to provide national identity cards to foreigners. In a crackdown that highlights the vulnerability of the country’s citizen registration system, three officials from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) were taken into custody.
