- Justice Jamali advises people to exercise franchise right cautiously and carefully
- Supreme Court seeks experts’ assistance in OLMT case
Monarchy is in place in the country in the name of democracy and bad governance under the garb of good governance, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Anwar Zaheer Jamali observed in his remarks on Thursday while heading a five-judge bench to review the Punjab government’s plea against the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) verdict in the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) project case.
“Historical heritage sites are our identification but they are being effaced in the name of Orange Line Metro Train project,” Justice Jamali remarked, adding, “People are being joked with in the name of democracy. They should now exercise their right to vote cautiously and carefully while electing their representatives.”
The court meanwhile directed the provincial government and plaintiffs to submit names of three experts each who could review technical reports pertaining to the project, and adjourned the hearing till October 14.
The high court had, on August 19, barred the provincial authorities from carrying out construction work within 200-metre radius of 11 heritage sites, protected under the Punjab Special Premises (Preservation) Ordinance, 1985 and Antiquity Act, 1975.
These sites include Shalamar Gardens, Gulabi Bagh Gateway, Buddhu ka Awa, Chauburji, Zebunnisa’s tomb, Lakhshmi Building, General Post Office, Aiwan-i-Auqaf, Supreme Court’s Lahore registry building, St Andrews Presbyterian Church on Nabha Road and Baba Mauj Darya Bukhari Shrine.
During Thursday’s hearing, the counsel for the Punjab government argued that the high court had rejected the reports of the project without assigning any reason or justification. He requested the court to suspend the LHC’s verdict as the project was facing delay.
Upon this, the court observed that “historical buildings were our national asset, and we wouldn’t allow anyone to destroy them”.
When the petitioner told the court that the Punjab government had initiated the project first and acquired no-objection certificate (NOC) later, Justice Jamali observed that people needed to stand against such actions.
“We would not tolerate any damage to these structures,” observed Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed.
Other judges on the larger bench included Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Ijazul Hasan.
The Supreme Court had formed a five-member larger bench on September 26 to review the Punjab government’s plea against the LHC’s verdict in the OLMT project case.