LHC dismisses 500-foot flag plea

Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Justice Raheel Kamran has dismissed a plea challenging the government’s decision to raise a 500-foot flag at Liberty Chowk with a cost of Rs400 million on the eve of Independence Day, August 14.

The plea was filed prematurely, and Justice Kamran ruled against it during the proceedings.

Earlier, the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) had denied plans to raise such a flag in response to the plea. The PHA’s response was submitted to the LHC to counter the request seeking a direction to restrain the provincial government from proceeding with the flag-raising.

The counsel representing PHA informed the court that no plans were in place to raise the flag, and no funds had been allocated for this purpose. The court granted an extension for the submission of the chief secretary’s reply and scheduled the next hearing accordingly.

The petitioner had contended that Pakistan was grappling with economic challenges due to factors such as devastating floods, which had caused substantial damage to the economy.

The petitioner criticised the decision to spend Rs400 million on a flag, emphasizing that this amount could be better utilized to address pressing issues like poverty, health, education, and climate change.

The petitioner highlighted that the announcement to raise the flag had drawn criticism on social media platforms and argued that the caretaker chief minister lacked the authority to take such a decision.

The petitioner questioned the use of substantial funds for a record-setting flag, especially considering recent loans from international institutions and friendly countries to support Pakistan’s economy. The petitioner urged the court to encourage a more graceful, simple, and economically efficient celebration of Independence Day on August 14.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 12^th, 2023..