The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday gave another week to the Punjab government to file its reply in a
petition challenging frequent protests on The Mall.
An assistant advocate general appearing before the court of Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry sought more time to file the reply saying the matter was under discussion in parliament.
The CJ was hearing a petition filed by The Mall Traders Union seeking directions for the city and provincial governments to stop protests at The Mall which were causing losses to their businesses. In the last hearing, the CJ took serious notice of the unsatisfactory answer of the assistant advocate general and said if the administration was unable to perform their duties, there was no reason they should hold their posts. “It appears that the respondents are not inclined to take any action on their own to resolve the grievances of the petitioners,” he said.
The petitioners had submitted that owing to the protests staged on The Mall they had been incurred losses to the tune of millions. They requested the court to direct the city administration to stop these protests, which had become a common practice.
