LHC allows ‘Mela’ at Minar-e-Pakistan

Staff Report

LAHORE: Justice Sheikh Abdul Rashid of the Lahore High Court accepted the petition and allowed ‘Mela’ to continue at Minar-e-Pakistan.

The court also accepted an apology by M Zulfiqar, the Project Parks (DPP) director, after criticising him for sending petitioner Chaudhry Javed a notice on December 18, asking him to obtain a fitness certificate.

The petitioner, through his counsel, had contended that under the law, he did not need a fitness certificate, which was only required if an aerial show was presented at Mela.

The court asked the DPP that under what authority had he issued notice to the petitioner when he was not putting up an air show.

The DPP said that he had issued the notice on the Lahore district nazim’s directive. However, he failed to explain his actions convincingly.

The court censured the DPP for harassing the petitioner and causing him unnecessary problems without any lawful purpose.

The DPP apologised and placed himself at the mercy of the court. He said he had been having health problems as of late.

In the last hearing, petitioner Javed submitted that he had attained permission to establish Mela and was paying a fee worth Rs 2,000 on a daily basis. However, authorities had banned the Mela even though the contract had not expired and had asked him to obtain a fitness certificate.

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