SC orders action against officials allowing billboards

CJP Gulzar Ahmad remarked that advertisements on television were enough

KARACHI:

The Supreme Court directed on Tuesday the authorities to take action against officials involved in permitting advertisements on billboards, further ordering Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Ali Shalllwani to remove hoardings from private properties.

A three-member bench, headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Ijazul Ahsan, was hearing the case pertaining to billboards.

Shallwani informed the court that they had removed at least 300 billboards from the city.

The CJP remarked that advertisements on television were enough and no advertisements should be present on the roads.

Separately, the apex court sought records from an anti-terrorism court in a case pertaining to the alleged kidnapping of a citizen by the police.

The father of the missing person, Saeed Umar, accused the police of kidnapping his son and demanding ransom for his release.

He claimed that the police officials first collected Rs1 million from him and then demanded Rs1.8 million more instead of releasing Umar, adding that they would torture Umar in front of him.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12^th, 2020.