‘No part of Cathedral Church would be affected’

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) has been assured by the commissioner that no part of Cathedral Church would be affected by the construction of the Orange Line Metro Train project.

In a statement to the court, Commissioner Abdullah Khan Sumbal said, “Three kanals were required for a disposal station in an initial plan. However, we revised the plan so that no land was required from the church. It has now been decided that the disposal station would be moved to another location.”

The court had stopped the project managers from acquiring land from Cathedral Church on a petition moved by its administration through an interim stay order. The petition will be taken up on Monday (today). The church, constructed in 1887, is built over 84 kanals.

Cathedral Church Dean Shahid P Mehraj told The Express Tribune that in a meeting with representatives of Saint Andrew’s Church, Naulakha Church, and Saint Paul’s Presbyterian Church, Adviser to Chief Minister Khawaja Hassaan had assured them that buildings of the Cathedral and Naulakha churches would not be affected.

He said Hassaan had also told them that efforts were underway to save the St Paul’s Presbyterian Church building, where construction of a staircase for an elevated station had been planned. He said Hassaan had told them that 1.4 kanals of the church would be restored after the construction of an underground track.

The administration of St Andrew’s Church has also conveyed its reservations to the train project manager through a letter.

Jamshed Rahmatullah, session secretary of the church, told The Express Tribune that the administration was willing to facilitate the project.

“We have asked them to assure us that the sanctity of the church would be maintained. All demolished area of the church should be restored to its original shape after completion of the project. The church should continue to serve as a space for worship.”

He said the government should make sure there was no damage to the building and provide security to church visitors during construction of the train route.

“It will be very upsetting if these reservations are not addressed. We would be left with no option but to protest,” he said.

Ban on Maalik

The court will issue ruling on petitions challenging a ban on exhibition of Pakistani film Maalik. The court had reserved judgement on the petitions last week. The Ministry of Information, Broadcasting and Heritage, through a notification issued on April 27, had banned exhibition of the film.

Leader of Opposition in the Provincial Assembly Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and Advocate Munir Ahmad had moved petitions challenging the ban.

A law officer for the federal government had said that the government had authority to ban on the film. He said exhibition of the film could cause unrest.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2016.