The Supreme Court on Tuesday turned down a plea by the attorney general who requested the court withdraw its earlier orders calling for the razing of a mosque constructed “illegally” in Karachi’s Tariq Road area, saying “religious tension” was springing up in the wake of demolition directives.
During Tuesday’s hearing in Islamabad, Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan urged the top court to review its Dec 28 verdict saying, “Many questions are being raised over directives to raze a place of worship.”
The chief justice responded that the Sindh government could allocate an alternative place for the mosque, insisting that “we had ourselves seen a park on that land.”
Justice Qazi Amin Ahmed observed that religion was being used in land grabbing.
The attorney general said it was the duty of the state to provide land for the mosque but reiterated his request to the court to withdraw its order. “All we can do is order the mosque not to be de-molished until a new site is earmarked for it,” said the chief justice. The CJP said the apex court couldn’t take back its order. “What would be the purpose of proceedings if we withdraw our orders,” Justice Gulzar said.
