Katas Raj case: SC orders removal of Siddiqul Farooq as ETPB chief

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday dismissed Siddiqul Farooq from his chairmanship of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) on the grounds that he had exceeded his three-year tenure.

An SC bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, made the decision while hearing a suo motu case based on media reports that the Katas Raj pond, considered by the followers of Hindu religion a sacred place, is drying out due to water consumption by nearby cement factories. In addition, almost every home in Katas Waulah and Choa Saidan Shah draws water through boring due to the absence of a proper supply network. The unchecked plantation of eucalyptus saplings in the region has compounded the problem.

In Tuesday’s session, the chief justice had questioned why Farooq continued to hold the position of ETPB chairman when his term had ended. The bench had previously expressed serious reservations with the way Farooq had administered his responsibilities. The ousted ETPB chairman is a veteran leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The EPTB is a statutory board that manages religious properties and shrines of Hindus and Sikhs who had migrated to India following the partition.

Following a brief courtroom dialogue with the additional attorney general on Wednesday, the chief justice relieved Farooq of his duties.

Upon being told by the additional attorney general that the tenure of an ETPB chairman is three years, Justice Nisar said: “If that’s the case, then Siddiqul Farooq’s tenure has ended. Why don’t we remove him from his position.”

The court proceeded with the dismissal, directing the government to “appoint a new chairman according to the law”.

Appearing in court on Wednesday, Farooq said he worked at the PML-N office where the chief justice would also visit sometimes.

The chief justice then ordered the federal government to remove him from the post and appoint an apolitical person.

The bench also expressed its reservation on the absence of Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed and the chairman of the Planning and Development Commission.

The three-judge bench sought timeline from cement factories situated around Katas Raj Chakwal over an alternate arrangement for water earlier.