Court stays funds for construction of APS martyrs’ monument

PEAHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Monday stayed funds for construction of APS martyrs monument and sought record of the funds spent on it.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Ikramullah and Justice Ijaz Anwar stopped government from spending fund on the APS Martyrs monument till next order of the court.

The court also directed the provincial government through chief secretary and Achieves and Libraries Department to submit record and replies in the petition.

The court issued the ordered in a petition filed by parents of APS martyrs including Fazal Khan, Dr Zahoor Alam, Zafar Iqbal Siddiqui and Tariq Jan through their lawyers Muhammad Ayaz Khan, Mumtaz Ahmed Khan and Shah Muhammad Khan.

During hearing, the government through PDA was establishing a monument near the public library and spent only Rs645,000 on it as substandard materials was used.

The lawyers submitted that huge amount of Rs15 million was allocated for an international standard monument, and the parents had reservations that the funds are being misused.

The parents requested the court to direct the respondents to reconstruct a monument commemorating and exhibiting respect for the APS martyrs with the wholesome originally approved project cost of Rs15 million because this monument is a message for posterity and not a perishable structure.

The court was also asked prayed to restrain the respondents from spending huge amount of Rs8.3 million on additional items including books because it had nothing to do with the construction of the monument and also stop further release of funds for the executing agency till a final order in the petition.

It was also stated in the petition that the provincial government had announced construction of the monument after the APS carnage on December 16, 2014. It said that PC 1 was then prepared and Rs15 million approved for the monument.

It was stated that it had surfaced that Rs6.6 million were allocated for the monument structure and the remaining for other items.