Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) observed on Monday that the departments hoisting Pakistani flags should also respect them.

The court said that laws should be implemented. If Pakistani laws are not implemented, it said, it’s better to hoist an Islamic State (Daesh) flag instead of a Pakistani flag.

A two-member SC bench headed by Justice Azmat Saeed gave these remarks after the home secretary sought three months to shift offices of the Islamabad Police and Motorways Police inspectors general from the residential areas of the federal capital to other areas.

“Are Pakistani laws not applicable to IGs. If Pakistani flags are hoisting on their offices, then Pakistani laws have to be implemented. If Pakistani laws are not implemented, it is better to hoist an Islamic State flag,” the bench observed.

Home and CADD secretaries appeared before the court and pleaded that the court gave them three months to shift the office from the residential areas. The court observed that the Capital Development Authority chairman submitted an affidavit that the offices would be shifted within the stipulated period. The court observed that everyone was obeying the law, but those who were supposed to implement the law, were not obeying the law.

The additional attorney general appeared before the court and said that Islamabad Police inspector general’s office would be shifted to Police Lines and Motorways Police inspector general’s office would be shifted to the Immigration Department.

CDA counsel Shahid Hamid told the court that the civic agency had shifted many embassies from residential areas and closed guesthouses. “These problems have been there for the last 15 years and they cannot be sorted out overnight,” he said. On this, the court replied, “You are wasting the court time. Some gains on the issue should have been made”.

Lawyer Aslam Khaki appeared in the court and said that a place had been allocated for the F-8 courts, but the Islamabad High Court “grabbed” this land. He told the court that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) occupied a vast swath of land in the residential area and it should be directed to vacate the land. The court sought replies from the relevant authorities and adjourned the hearing till April 11.