Plea about naming infrastructure dismissed

Petition aimed to eradicate the association of streets, roads, government institutes to political figures

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Shahid Kareem has dismissed a plea seeking to declare the naming of public infrastructure after politicians and ruling elites in Punjab as “illegal”.

The petition, filed by Mushkoor Hussain, aimed to eradicate the association of streets, roads, government institutes, and cities with political figures.

During the proceedings, Justice Kareem expressed frustration over such petitions, labelling them as time-consuming for the courts.

He advised the petitioner's lawyer to focus on more substantial legal matters instead.

Hussain's petition named several government officials as respondents, including the chief secretary and secretaries of various departments.

He argued that renaming public facilities after political figures reflected a mindset of treating public assets as personal domains of political and feudal lords.

Citing examples like the recent change of Imam Bibi Maternity Hospital to Khawaja Safdar Hospital, Hussain highlighted the prevalence of such practices across Punjab. He emphasised that public infrastructure should not be monopolised by politicians and elites, stressing that these assets belong to all citizens.

The petitioner criticised the lack of logic behind naming or renaming roads, parks, and institutes after individuals without considering their contributions to society.

He warned against the misuse of authority to gain personal recognition, which could undermine the efforts of genuine contributors to the nation's progress.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 19^th, 2024.