LHC moved against naming of public infrastructure after influentials in Punjab

Petitioner deems the act 'illegal, unlawful, and against the basic rights of citizens of particular areas'

LAHORE:

A petition was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday seeking the declaration of associating any street, road, government institute, city, or town in Punjab with the name of any politician or ruling elites as ‘illegal’.

The petitioner, Mushkoor Hussain, filed the plea through advocate Nadeem Sarwar and made the chief secretary and secretaries of local government, health, communication works department, ministry of information & culture, and secretary home as respondents.

The petitioner pleaded against the naming, or renaming of any public location after any individual having no positive social impact, role, or exceptional dedication to service in ways that bring special credit to an area, city or town.

“The act is illegal, unlawful, and against the basic rights of citizens of particular areas,” he added.

The plea further demanded the removal of signboards and other advertisement mediums (names of individuals, politicians, ruling elites, and feudal lords) showing streets, roads, buildings, towns, and cities in the Punjab.

Hussain highlighted that the name of Imam Bibi Maternity Hospital (named after the mother of the nation's esteemed poet and philosopher, Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal) was changed to Khawaja Safdar Hospital recently.

“Unfortunately it is evident from the conduct of the provincial government and functionaries that the cities, towns, streets and all institutes (educational and health), relating to the public, in general, have been treated as part of some undeclared kingdoms of local feudal and political lords of each town, city and area, therefore, naming, renaming such institutes, towns, cities, roads, streets is also part of their kingdom rule which clearly depicts the mindset of our politicians and ruling elites.”

Read ‘Roads to be named after martyrs’

The petitioner stated that he witnessed roads, streets, towns, overhead bridges, educational institutes, hospitals, public parks, and universities in Lahore and in the province being named or renamed after people or individuals related to the ruling class of the province.

He added that the role of such individuals in matters of development, betterment, and services was ignored.

"Such impression shall, undeniably, frustrate the very purpose of guidelines which are meant to encourage people to serve the nation; work in defined fields, or serve people by wealth. Hence misuse of such powers would not only violate the law but would also result in disappointment among those, who actually sacrificed their lives for positive causes," said the petition.