SC criticises govt’s performance

Stone crushing case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday criticised the performance of the government and observed that problems are being witnessed in every field while the government machinery has completely failed to resolve it.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, resumed hearing in the stone crushing case of Margalla Hills. The court rejected the plea, seeking lifting the ban on trees cutting and stone crushing at Margalla Hills and directed the Punjab government to submit a detailed report on the next date of hearing.

Former Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, on October 25, 2013, while hearing a suo moto case, pertaining to the Margalla Tunnel, had restrained the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and National Highway Authority (HA) not to undertake any exercise for the construction of a tunnel in the Margalla Hills en route to the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the CDA was also directed not to grant a licence of crushing stones from the Margalla Hills.

On Wednesday, during the course of hearing, Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, while criticising the performance of the government, observed that problems are being witnessed in every field the government machinery had completely failed to resolve it.

The CJ, while addressing the attorney general, asked that the courts were not required to do these jobs but as the government is least bothered to do the needful, the court has to intervene.

The attorney general, however, suggested the court to form a commission regarding the stone crushing. Justice Ameer Hani Muslim, another member of the bench, asked that formation of the said commission means that the government has no intention to do anything.

The chief justice observed that people who leased out the mountain for a year never bothered to ask as to how they carried on crushing for six years.

During the hearing, law officer, representing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, informed the court that the province is going to make legislation regarding stone crushing. Justice Ameer Hani Muslim, however, said that mountains are being erased through blasting on government machinery from Islamabad to Murree.

A lawyer representing the stone crushing company told the court that his clients are leased owners, hence conducting blasting in accordance with law. Meanwhile, the court sought a detailed report from the Punjab government and adjourned further hearing until June 29.