MANSEHRA: The Supreme Court on Thursday accepted a contempt petition for hearing against the federal and provincial authorities over non-implementation of its orders for the development of the New Balakot City housing project.

The hearing’s schedule will be announced afterwards.

The development comes as Justice Sardar Tariq Masood of the single-member bench dismissed objections raised by the court’s registrar about the petition filed by the survivors of the 2005 earthquake from Balakot tehsil.

The court ordered the fixing of the petition for regular hearing.

SC dismisses objections to petition of quake survivors

Meanwhile, Advocate Munir Hussain Lughmani defended Shiraz Mehmood Qureshi, the representative of the earthquake-hit people, before the bench.

According to him, the federal and provincial governments haven’t complied with the court’s Jan 7, 2019, orders for the completion of the New Balakot city housing project within 30 months.

Mr Lughmani said the court had directed the Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority and other relevant authorities toact in accordance with a memorandum understanding signed by Erra and other departments with the representatives of the 2005 calamity survivors for the development of the New Balakot City. It also ordered the release of Rs1 billion for the purpose.

The counsel added that both federal and provincial governments had failed to act on the court’s orders and therefore, the families displaced by the earthquake 16 years ago continued to live a miserable life.

ARRESTED: The police have arrested around 70 men wanted by them for murder, murder attempt and other crimes in the district.

District police officer Sajjad Khan told reporters hereon Thursday that the crackdown on outlaws and land grabbers was under way and 71 proclaimed offenders had been arrested.

He said six cases were lodged against land grabbers after the recovery of occupied land and other properties.

The DPO said the police had forwarded 122 applications to the dispute resolution councils during the last couple of weeks and 92 of them were disposed of.

Meanwhile, the Helping Hand Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences held an Iqbal Day seminar here on Thursday.

The speakers highlighted poet Allama Mohammad Iqbal’s idea of a separate homeland for the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent and said the youth should be educated about it.

Speech, painting, sketching and Quiz contests were also part of the event, which was attended by teachers, students and others. Trophies and certificates were given away to students with outstanding performance.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2021