SC seeks response on restoring Jamia Hafsa

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court sought on Wednesday a report from the federal government on the status of its eight-year-old verdict on rebuilding Jamia Hafsa in the federal capital, seeking an unambiguous response detailing practical steps taken in this regard.

Jamia Hafsa, a women’s seminary attached with the Lal Majid, was damaged during the July 2007 military operation initiated on the orders of former military ruler Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf.



In December last year, Lal Masjid’s cleric Abdul Aziz filed an application in the apex court, requesting it to direct the authorities to implement the Supreme Court’s October 2, 2007 verdict.

When the two-judge bench, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, resumed the hearing of the case on Wednesday,  Tariq Asad advocate, the counsel for Abdul Aziz, said that the directions in paras 4,7,13 and 14 of the court’s judgment were not complied.

Deputy Attorney-General Sohail Mahmood submitted the compliance report, in which it was stated that an FIR 297/2007 for defiling Holy Quran had been registered in the Aabpara police station. According to the report, the police visited the crime scene, but did not find any evidence in this regard.

Terming the reply shocking, Justice Ejaz noted: “We are still at square one. Something must be brought in black and white about what has practically been done.”



The court observed that whatever had been done in pursuance of its order issued on October 2 2007 was still an enigma. “We went through relevant paras of the reports and do not think there is anything directly addressing the issues in definitive terms,” the short order said.



The bench asked DAG to submit a compliance report and adjourned the hearing until Thursday.

The top court on October 2, 2007 had given various directions to the government and the police.

The top court had directed the federal government to register an FIR for desecration of the Holy Quran and murder of innocent people inside Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa during the military operation.

The court had told the government to provide monetary compensation to the heirs of the victims and also reconstruct Jamia Hafsa within one year and arrange for education, boarding and lodging of female students.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 5^th, 2016.