Writ of law

The recent judgment of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to seal Monal restaurant in order to protect the sanctity of the national park on the Margalla Hills was long overdue. Powerful land-mafia groups tend to occupy amenity plots, forests, etc and in doing so exacerbate an already grave environmental crisis. When state-funded institutions indulge in irregularities, people lose faith in the institutions. All this can be avoided if principles are upheld and the constitution reigns supreme.

In pre-partition India, British colonial powers used force to defy all those that defied them. However, these officers would never dare to take over state land in the UK, where the writ of law prevailed, and no man – or institution – could defy the law. It is unfortunate that after more than seven decades, the country’s constitution, which all public holders have pledged to uphold and protect, is being flagrantly defied. When the writ of law and the supremacy of the constitution become slaves to the whims of powerful groups, national sovereignty and security are compromised.

Malik Tariq Ali

Lahore