Making it clear that the Supreme Court (SC) could not grant a ‘stay' in the case of demolition of the Medina Mosque of Karachi, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed on Tuesday rejected the government’s request to order a halt to the mosque’s demolition, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

When Attorney-General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan, while requesting the court to revisit the case since it, as what he said, was not of commercial nature, prayed to the court to bar the authorities from going ahead with the razing of the structure situated at the city’s famous Tariq Road, the CJP refused to give such an order, saying all that the SC could do was to ask the government to arrange an alternate piece of land for the mosque. 

Justice Qazi Muhammad Ameen remarked that granting ‘stay’ in the case would be a ‘blunder’.

“Lands are being occupied in the name of religion,” he said, and added the apex court would now have to do something to put an end to the use of religion for wrong purposes.   

Later, the AGP assured the court that the government would provide an alternate plot for the mosque.

The Supreme Court then ordered the Sindh government to submit complete details of the case on the next date of the hearing on January 13.  

Reporter: Amanat Gishkori