SC fines Assistant Advocate General Punjab in Katas Raj case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan imposed on Tuesday a fine of Rs 1,000 on Assistant Advocate General Punjab Asma Hamid and issued a notice to Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Siddiqul Farooq in the Katas Raj suo motu case.

The three-member bench also expressed its reservation on the absence of Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed and chairman of the Planning and Development Commission in today’s hearing.

The historic pond, a revered site for Hindus, is said to have depleted due to the operations of cement factories nearby which have sucked out the underground water.

The chief justice remarked that if the water of the pond adjacent to Katas Raj temple is depleting because of the cement factories located close to it, then the factories should make other arrangements to get water.

Chief Justice Nisar remarked that Katas Raj’s temple and pond should be restored to its original state, adding that the cement factories are adversely affecting the local environment.

The chief justice directed the cement factories to give a timeline for making alternative arrangements for water. 

"They’ve consumed mountains," the chief justice remarked, referring to the cement factories.

CJP also summoned a response from the Punjab government on the export of limestone.  

During the hearing, the chief justice also came down hard on ETPB Chairman Farooq, asking how he could remain on his post when his term has expired.

How long will political appointments continue to be made in the country, the chief justice observed further.  

The chief justice also observed during today's hearing that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor is an important developmental project for Pakistan, adding that the court wants the resolution of all disputes related to it.

The hearing was then adjourned for an indefinite period. 

In its previous hearing, the Supreme Court had also lashed out at the ETPB, which looks after affairs of minorities' properties in the country, and its chairman, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's Farooq.

During the hearing, the chief justice had summoned from the ETPB details of the properties operated by it and the funds generated from them.

The chief justice warned that if the details are not presented at the next hearing, Farooq should leave his post.

“Where institutions will not do anything, we will,” he remarked, adding that in such cases there should be no complaints of the court exceeding its jurisdiction.

"Farooq’s credentials for the appointment are his 30 years of political service," observed the chief justice, adding that someone who collected newspapers in the party office was appointed to such an important post.

Note: An earlier version of this story misreported that the Punjab government had been fined Rs 100,000. The error is regretted.