Lahore: Supreme Court Bar Association President Syed Ali Zafar informed the Lahore High Court (LHC) that if the Orange Line Metro Train project was found to be against the law and harmful to the fundamental rights of citizens, the court had the right to halt it.
During a hearing to entertain numerous petitions against the project, Zafar, acting as amicus curiae (adviser to the court), said that while the government had a right to develop public infrastructure and the court was not supposed to interfere in policy matters, there were certain conditions in which the court could take action. He added that this was possible if the project was against constitutional law, was a violation of fundamental rights, and/or violated the features of existing urban fabric, stated a news source.
According to Zafar, the Orange Line Metro Train project had to be analysed in order to assess if it met any of the mentioned conditions.
According to the Antiquities Act 1975, no construction is allowed within a 200-foot radius of protected historical monuments and if the Orange Line Metro Train project violates this condition, construction will not continue, Zafar maintained.
Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh adjourned the hearing until January 27.
