Madina Mosque: Supreme Court refuses to withdraw decision to demolish mosque
The Supreme Court has rejected the federal government's plea to stop the demolition of the Madina Mosque built in a park in Karachi. The court said religion was being used to seize land.
''The suo motu notice regarding encroachments in Karachi a three-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed on Tuesday heard ''.
Attorney General Khalid Javed requested the court that The court should reconsider the order to demolish the constructed mosque as this court order is creating religious tension in the country. He said that the court order to demolish the mosque was raising many questions.
Addressing the Attorney General, Justice Qazi Amin, who was present in the bench, said that they are government representatives and ''they want the sky to fall but the government should not fall.''
''But religion is being used to occupy lands.''
Addressing the Attorney General, the head of the bench said, "We have seen this park being built with our own eyes and you know the extent of encroachment in it." He said that the provincial government of Sindh wants Give alternative land for the mosque but the court will not change its decision. The chief justice said the court could stop the demolition of the mosque until a new site for its replacement was found, but the court could not reverse its decision.
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed said that if the Supreme Court started withdrawing such decisions, the justice system would be affected.
The attorney general told the court that he was aware that the state and provincial governments were responsible for providing land for the construction of the mosque, but that the court should reconsider its order to prevent religious tensions. The Attorney General told the court that since the Sindh government is not a party in this case, the Supreme Court still has the power to seek a report from the Sindh government on the provision of land and until the provincial government submits its report to the Supreme Court. Until then, the court order to demolish this mosque should be withdrawn.
The Chief Justice remarked that the order to remove encroachments from the park would not be reversed. He said that if the court has to reverse its decision then what is the use of all this action.
Justice Qazi Amin, who was present in the bench, remarked that construction of mosque on encroachments is a non-religious act and Islam does not allow this act.
He said that if a mosque is to be built, it should be done from one's own pocket. The construction of mosques cannot be justified by occupying government lands.
It may be recalled that a three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed had on December 28 during a hearing in Karachi ordered to demolish the encroachments in Karachi and especially all the encroachments in the park on Tariq Road.