The Punjab government in Pakistan Friday asked the Lahore High Court (LHC) for more time on the matter of renaming the Shadman Chowk after freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. The LHC was hearing a plea filed by the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation Pakistan seeking contempt proceedings against three top officials of the provincial and district governments for not complying with the court’s order about naming the Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh.
During the hearing, Assistant Advocate General of the Punjab government Imran Khan argued that the Punjab government should be given more time for the issuance of a notification to name Shadman Chowk after the freedom fighter.
The petitioner’s counsel, advocate Khalid Zama Kakar, argued that a lot of delay had already been made in the matter. The court accepted the request of the government law officer and adjourned the hearing till June 7.
Notably, in a 2018 order, the LHC had asked the Punjab government to rename the Shadman Chowk in Lahore after Bhagat Singh, the place where he was hanged by the British, 93 years ago. The provincial and district governments committed contempt by deliberately not complying with the LHC’s order to change the chowk’s name in 2018, the petitioner argued.
Bhagat Singh, who fought for the independence of the subcontinent, was hanged by British rulers on March 23, 1931, along with Shivaram Rajguru and Sukhdev Thapar after being tried under charges of hatching a conspiracy against the British regime.
Bhagat Singh, who is respected in the Indian subcontinent by people of every faith, including Sikhs, Hindus, and Muslims, was initially jailed for life but later awarded the death sentence in another “fabricated case”.
Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, had reportedly paid tribute to Bhagat Singh, twice, during his speech in the central assembly. Jinnah reportedly said there had never been a braver man in the subcontinent than Bhagat Singh.
In a statement, Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi, Chairman of Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation Pakistan, showered tributes on the iconic freedom fighter, asserting that Singh and his comrades sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the subcontinent and his personality is an inspiration to the people of Pakistan and the world.
“It will be in the interest of justice to name Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh and also install his statue at the square to inspire the people of Pakistan and the world,” he said, adding that in neighbouring India, there were many roads and thoroughfares named after Muslim rulers such as Akbar Road, Shahjahan Road and Bahadur Shah Road.
(With PTI inputs)
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