Pull down security wall, CCPO ordered

LAHORE - The Lahore High Court chief justice on Wednesday ordered to stop construction of a concrete wall outside the office of Capital City Police Officer Lahore and directed him to raze down the constructed portion of the wall. The CJ passed this order while accepting several petitions filed by traders of Queens Road and observed that police could construct the wall alongside footpath in the wake of security threats but a thoroughfare could not be blocked. On previous hearing, the CJ had constituted a three-member committee to resolve the issue of blocking Queens Road in front of his (CCPO) office due to security reasons. Acting Advocate General Punjab Muhammad Hanif Khatana was head of the committee while the CCPO and the IGP were other members of it. On Wednesday, Khatana told the court that a wall was being constructed to protect the CCPO office against likely terrorist attacks. Khatana told the committee had also heard the grievances of all traders and businessmen running their business alongside the road. After going through the report, the CJ ordered to demolish wall and stop construction. Inayat Ali, manager Plaza Cinema and others pleaded through their counsel that on CCPOs order the road from his office to the Rescue 15 building had been closed and the wall was being erected in front of the office. Plaza Cinema is located in front of the CCPO office. He submitted that on the pretext of security, law enforcement agencies had not only closed the roads leading to the cinema but a wall was also being erected to restrict public movement in the area. He said these steps had badly affected his business and other businesses, as the people were not allowed to enter the area. He said the employees were suffering from severe financial crisis as the situation had forced owners to close down their business for indefinite period. He requested the court to direct the provincial government to open the road for common people, enabling traders to run their business smoothly. Hearing of plea deferred The Lahore High Court postponed hearing of a petition for January 20, which was moved by PML-N member Najma Ahmad challenging the eligibility of her party lady MNAs election as national assembly members. Petitioner counsel Tariq Aziz Malik submitted that four ladies Nuzhat Sadiq, Sabeen Rizvi, Sherry Arshad and Tasneem Siddiqui were elected MNAs on special seats reserved for women. He said these ladies were elected on Punjab quota, whereas they were not registered voters in Punjab. He said these ladies were voters of Islamabad, where there is no seat reserved for ladies and when they were voters in federal capital they could not be elected MNAs on Punjab quota. He requested to declare these ladies disqualified from being elected MNAs on special seat from Islamabad.