PHC had previously ordered the chief secretary to form a commission on May 5, but the directives were never followed. PHOTO: PPI
The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday directed the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chief minister (CM) to form a commission to probe possible security risks that may arise due to the construction of Mufti Mehmood Flyover.
A two-member bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Musarrat Hilali issued the directives after it was informed the court had, on May 5, ordered the K-P chief secretary to form a commission for the purpose, but the order had not been acted upon.
The writ petition being heard was filed by the late Barrister Bacha and is now headed by PHC Bar Association President Ishtiaq Ibrahim with the permission of the bench. Ishtiaq Ibrahim informed the court it was mentioned in the petition that sensitive institutions are located near the flyover including PHC, Radio Pakistan, K-P Assembly and others. He contended the flyover’s construction could pose a security threat if proper measures are not taken.
“This court had ordered the chief secretary to form a commission on May 5 to look into the matter of environmental, security and other threats; but it is yet to be formed. This commission was tasked to submit a report regarding the advantages of the flyover and any problems that could be created after completion,” the court said in its order on Tuesday. The bench then directed the chief minister to constitute a commission and submit a report through his principal secretary to the PHC registrar in 20 days.
Construction work of Mufti Mehmood Flyover was inaugurated on June 28, 2011 by former chief minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti and the stipulated time of its completion was stated to be two years along with an estimated cost of Rs1.77 billion. The flyover, which will link Central Prison Peshawar with Bacha Khan Chowk, is, however, yet to be completed despite a lapse of over two years.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 6th,2013.
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