LHC halts demolition of Governor House wall

LAHORE: Just as the authorities took down the boundary wall of the left side of the Punjab Governor House in order to give the public a better view of the historic-era building, the Lahore High Court issued orders to halt the demolition work.

“Not a single brick should move, otherwise everyone will be in jail,” warned Justice Mamoonur Rashid while hearing a petition of Khawaja Mohsin Abbas on Monday.

The petition made the Punjab government, chief secretary, CDA, Lahore mayor and other officials respondents in the case.
The petitioner’s lawyer apprised the court that the building was antique and an integral part of cultural heritage. “This act will be a waste of public money,” he maintained.

The government’s attorney said, “The Governor House was not being demolished. We only talked about its walls.”

Justice Rashid remarked that the walls of the Governor House had not changed since his childhood.

The high court, in compliance with the petition, banned the move to demolish the wall of the Governor House and issued a stay order till a verdict was reached.

According to the Supreme Court, such moves should first be highlighted through advertisement in newspapers; therefore, there was no need for the cabinet’s approval. Demolishing the walls of such antique structures is in violation of the SC order and the antiquity act.

On Sunday, the Punjab government, on the orders of Prime Minister Imran Khan, started demolishing the boundary wall of the Punjab Governor House.

Source: The Express Tribune