Bhagat Singh: LHC extends stay on renaming chowk
Justice Nasir Saeed Sheikh of the LHC also allowed two applications filed by social activists to become party to the case and directed the registrar office to fix the hearing of the applications on the next hearing of the main case.
Dr Taimur Rehman and Saeeda Diep had filed these applications through Advocate Yasir Latif Hamdani.
The judge adjourned the matter for three weeks.
A member of Tehreek-e-Hurmat-e-Rasool and president of Shadman trader’s union, Zahid Butt, had challenged the renaming of Shadman Fawara Chowk and the court had restrained the city district government from issuing an official notification in this regard during the last hearing.
It was alleged in the petition that the government succumbed to the pressure of ‘so-called’ human rights associations and decided to name the Chowk after Bhagat Singh.
The petitioner maintained that the government ignored reservations of the locals and established a committee named “Dilkash Lahore” to decide the name of the said chowk. The committee also decided on changing the name of the Chaudhry Rehmat Ali Chowk to Bhagat Singh Chowk and also published advertisements in newspapers, he said.
He further alleged that a strong Indian lobby and India-sponsored human rights activists were behind the whole episode and were forcing the government to change the name of the chowk.
He requested the court to stop the government from issuing a notification about changing the name of the chowk.
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Bhagat Singh is one of only a few of the national heroes Punjab has produced, which stopped after British took over.
@afzaalkhan: Liberal Fascist? That term is an oxymoron in itself. It's hilarious to me that you would attack me personally because I have a different opinion than yours - that just shows me your level of intellect and your depth of thought. You are referring to the elections in 1937 and 1946 which occurred a long time after the independence movement had been spurred on by the likes of Bhagat Singh, Chandershekar Azad and Ashfaqullah Khan. When Bhagat Singh was giving up his life for the cause of his country, the two nation theory of Iqbal was less than three months old, and Jinnah was enjoying retirement from politics in London. Bhagat Singh was not a Sikh or Hindu and as an atheist his fight for his motherland was based on nationalism, and not on religion. The Pakistan movement came much later after Bhagat Singh's plight for the freedom from the British. Take your glasses of ignorance off and stop being so narrow minded.
@Rehman Saiyed
It is liberal fascists like you which are destroying pakistan. Pakistan movement has nothing to do with Indian liberation. If you can't understand the difference then problem lies with you not with us. In punjab 1937 election, ML put forward 7 candidates for 85 Muslim seats and won only 2. In 1946 they won 75 not cuz of Punjabi slogan but because of Muslim slogan.
@Hammad: You are a religious bigot. Bhagat Singh was one of the greatest sons of Punjab who fought for the freedom of the citizens of India - of which I am sure your ancestors were a part of. Bhagat Singh did not fight in the name of religion, he fought in the name of nationalism. He was not a follower of any religion (yes, he was an atheist) and to him being a Punjabi and being a free man mattered more than anything. It is right wing conservatives like you who are destroying Pakistan with their conspiracy theories and their narrow mindedness. This man was born in Faisalabad, primarily spent his life in Punjab and his sacrificed his life willfully so that people like you can life freely. Before you start blaming the NGOs and India please read about what this Lahori Lion did for you, I am sure you would feel ashamed!!
There's nothing more sorry (and sick) than the sight of Pakistanis who thrash their motherland in public fora. A person who insults his motherland in public is like a person insulting his mother in public. No human being can go lower than that.
If we name some chowk in pakistan on the name of Jarnail Singh Bhindrawala who died as the chief of insurgents of Khalistan movement in indian punjab, then the same indians will be crying on that news such is the level of hypocracy of indians. I am sure Jarnail singh bhindrawala is regarded much more highly than this bhagat singh among sikhs.
@Salman
A great post. But it's a cry in the wilderness. This land has become infested with the likes of @Lala Gees. You can't reason with them, 'cause they have become stone deaf. They excel in competitive communalism and feel better about themselves. Thanks for bringing some sanity.
@Oshkara!: @Lala Gee
Can you really blame Indians - or, for that matter, the world -- for hating Pakistanis? Our culture has steadily retrogressed from one of tolerance and pluralism to a near fascist ideological prism that views everything un-Sunni as wrong, illegitimate and illegal (as if we respect law and order!). Lala Gee, I believe it is erroneous and highly biased on your part to raise issues, and quoting out of context, 1- “Protecting the Killers: A Policy of Impunity in Punjab, India” 2- “Everyone Lives in Fear. Patterns of Impunity in Jammu and Kashmir” 3- “India: Communal Violence and the Denial of Justice” By the same token, Pakistan maltreats and violates the rights of Kashmiris in what we - hypocritcally - call "Azad Kashmir" where there is absolutely no transparency and respect of human rights. The culprits involved in India's communal violence, to which you refer, are behind bars (whether they are Musims, Hindus and others) but it might surprise and embarrass you to know that some of the Muslims, interrogated by Indian police, admitted that they received support from across the borders from Pakistan. Coming to the naming of the chowk after Bhagat Singh, it is shameful that you should view the entire subject from the "Muslim prism". I live in Karachi and have visited India many times. They have many landmarks, streets, cinema houses, restaurants, etc. named after Muslims or Muslim symbols. Indeed, it is very common for Hindus to attend Muslim weddings, festivities, etc. (held in predominantly Hindu neighbourhoods) and vice versa. There have been four Muslim Presidents (the highest office any Indian can hold) in India, not to mention the scores of senior ministers, vice presidents, top diplomats, entrepreneurs, etc. How many Hindus do you have in government offices (we can't even imagine a Hindu or a Sikh ever getting a ministerial post let alone becoming the President or head of the army!!!). Pakistanis should learn to remove the cobwebs that surround our mental thinking that has been influenced by years, nay decades, of propaganda and brainwashing, and look up to progress and nation-building which can come about only if we remove the veil that darkens our mind and prevents us from opening our eyes. Nation-building is not going to be realized by hate-mongering mullahs and their destructive madrassah-educated mobsters, but by honest and incorruptible modern thinkers, doctors, scientists, engineers, lawyers, etc. Sadly, the faces of the latter group of people are very few in our present-day Pakistan. You need to get rid of your narrow-mindedness and, with it, your parochialism.
Long live Bhagat Singh!!!
Any one who sacrifices his life at 24 years of age for freedom must be applauded
" History has given verdict "Bhagat Singh is a Great Freedom Fighter".....Chowk or no Chowk
So much rage coming from the Bhagat Singh fans! After all we were putting foundations of Hindu temples by non-other-than Pak hater Advani and repairing other, when Hindu extremists had already demolished Babri Masjid only because they were there first. Why then stop Israel from doing same to Al-Aqsa Mosque which was built on the ruins of King Solomon Temple and then any famous historic architecture from the Lion-Face-Man of Sphinx of Egypt to Qurtoba's famous Church that was built right through the Masjid-e-Qurtoba cutting and destroying the mosque remnants of which still shines through its defaced pillars and mehrabs. By the way, last time I was in Lahore, the govt provided guide persistently convinced the tourists that Badshahi Qila was actually Ranjit Singh's house and Badshahi Masjid was his Horse Stable. He stressed that Lahore is famous for Sikh history more than Mughal. He even mentioned a govt's plan to convert Shahi Qila into Shiva Ji's Museum. He even showed me the site inside the Qila in 1999. So much desperation for tourists money, I never saw anywhere in the world. Now what do you have to say to that. It's all comes down to trade, business, favoritism or some sort of money or atleast votes for power here or across the border.
@abcde
Well said. The contradiction is glaring, to say the least.
@Kamal: Babri was built by Mohammed Baqi,Babar's general, demolishing sacred hindu temple and this fact has been held to be true in court also.Restoring hindu temples is necessary and if the reverse happened in pakistan it would not be debatable or even an issue
This is quite unnecessary - a thoroughly merit-less controversy raked up by a handful of misguided souls. Please think it over - naming a Pakistani public place after Bhagat Singh is quite an open insult to many in Pakistan. The link that Seema Aziz provided is not entirely without substance. Just let this be, and move on to something more productive for everyone.
"He further alleged that a strong Indian lobby and India-sponsored human rights activists were behind the whole episode and were forcing the government to change the name of the chowk."
Was this the whole premise of the case? How was it even allowed to stand?
An interesting perspective:
Remembering Bhagat Singh, Forgetting Aurangzeb: http://www.thepakistaninationalist.blogspot.com/2012/11/remembering-bhagat-singh-forgetting.html
@Proud Bhagat Singh Fan:
"We see how tolerant, broad-minded and loving you are!"
Here are couple of stories of your tolerance told by the Human Rights Watch Organization.
1- "Protecting the Killers: A Policy of Impunity in Punjab, India" 2- "Everyone Lives in Fear. Patterns of Impunity in Jammu and Kashmir" 3- "India: Communal Violence and the Denial of Justice"
@Proud Bhagat Singh Fan:
"Here we go again: the true and unmasked religious-extremist face of Pakistan..."
I am amazed by the level of intelligence you exhibited in your comment. Have you ever heard of famous "Lakshmi Chowk", Diyal Singh College and Library, Ganga Ram Hospital, Gulab Devi Hospital, and Temple Road to name a few of the most prominent places in Lahore named after Hindus and Sikhs? And there are thousands of roads and places all over the country named after Christian notables. Do you live in planet Mars or in India?
Name it Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale chowk problem solved :)
Dr Taimur Rehman and Saeeda Diep had filed these applications through Advocate Yasir Latif Hamdani. I would just like Pakistani readers to note the below: 1. Did Dr Taimur Rehman and Saeeda Diep fight for the independence of Pakistan / India? Ans = NO.. 2. Did Shahid Bhagat Singh fight for the independence of India / Pakistan? Ans = Yessssssssssssssss............................. Now you judge who is responsible for your freedom..... A man who in his youth fought for your freedom and sacrificed his life or the 'bhade ke tattooo' of the 'establishment'......
@Proud Bhagat Singh Fan
Yes we are not, now stay on your side of border.
Entire World is approaching moon to have picnic trip but our so-called " Patriotic Religious" elements are sitting on the heap of straws. Bhagat Singh rendered valuable services for ousting " Goras" from sub-continent and is regarded as hero of freedom.
I personally pay him rich tributes.
@Proud Bhagat Singh Fan: Have you forgotten that moment when you had shown your extremist and dirty face by demolishing the Babrai Mosque in India (The land where no holy places of Muslims, Christians and other minorities are saved by the hand of fanatics Hindus.)
Bhagat Singh is true revolutionist and he is beyond to bound by any religion & fought to get freedom for United India from british rule which include nowaday Pakistan and India. If his name is not dragged into this controversy, please name it whatever under the sun you want to name it. But asking reconsidering once his name considered is, what in my opinion is dishonour this legend who lost everything for us( yes us for Pakistan and India)!!
@Hammad: Human rights activists can not say one word against the atrocities happening in Palestine and Kashmir. You forgot to mention the number one name - Pakistan occupied Baluchistan........
Here we go again: the true and unmasked religious-extremist face of Pakistan which looks for excuses to wipe out minorities and their contributions, and mocks other religions. The success of a democracy is measured by its tolerance and humane treatment of its minorities, an attribute that is alien to Pakistan and Pakistanis. By this example, Pakistan also has absolutely no right to tell other countries how they should be behaving towards their minorities who, like in India, are far better off than the Indian Muslims who migrated to what became Pakistan after partition, let alone the Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, etc. who are constantly persecuted, kidnapped, murdered, etc. in the "land of the pure". We see how tolerant, broad-minded and loving you are!
I chanced upon this news item. Am amazed by what this and other articles say on this issue. Is this the 21st century? C'mon people get a life. Name it whatever and move on. India and pak are different countries, we r different people now. Bhagat Singh commands a lot of respect here and maybe a few people there. But I'm sure no Indian would lose sleep on what Lahore wants to name its chowks. Relax and take it easy.
Dear pakistan not ur cup of tea.
Glad some sane voices!
We must fight against such ridiclouous acts by government!
No doubt! India sponsored NGOs are running this campaign. All of the sudden these fake Bhagat Singh's Lovers woke up after a log sleep and started this entire campaign. Such so called Human rights activists can not say one word against the atrocities happening in Palestine and Kashmir.