New mosques in Miani Sahib banned

LAHORE : The Lahore High Court Tuesday banned the construction of new mosques in Miani Sahib Graveyard and asked the religious scholars to assist the court on the matter.

Justice Ali Akbar Qureshi was hearing a petition filed by a senior bar member Shahid Maqbool Sheikh against construction of more mosques on the graveyard’s land. The lawyer contended that if rapid construction of mosques was not stopped there would be mosques all over the graveyard. He stated that many people built shops on ground floor, mosque on first floor and residences on second floor.

The court imposed a ban on construction of new mosques on the graveyard land and directed the assistant commissioner concerned to submit a detailed report on the matter. The court also sought a report from the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) about restoration of public parks in the city. The lawyer pleaded that the LDA had not established public parks in its housing schemes like it developed Gulshen-e-Iqbal Park in Allama Iqbal Town decades ago. The court also expressed concern over the matter and questioned the LDA’s failure to develop public parks in Johar Town and other schemes.

The court lamented that the LDA gave priority to commercial plots and ignored parks for public amenities in its housing schemes. An officer of the Parks & Horticulture Authority told the court that it could develop public parks if the LDA provided it required land in its schemes. Meanwhile, the court sought compliance reports from PHA, Lesco and LDA within one week about work for the restoration of The Mall to its historic condition.