LAHORE: The Lahore High Court in a landmark decision on Wednesday ordered the relevant authorities to give free services of parking including bike, cars and shoe racks for the pilgrims along with free-of-cost toilets facility at the shrines across Punjab.
LHC Chief Justice Qasim Ali Khan issued the order for the free services at the shrines while hearing a petition filed by a citizen, Haq Nawaz, last month against the collection of fees from visitors for the use of washrooms, shoe-keeping, and parking in the premises of shrines across Punjab.
The court also sought a report of the collection of funds from all shrines within 15 days.
It is relevant to note that there are 547 shrines, including Lahore’s Data Darbar, across the province and the authorities have recently opened them for the public after the decline in coronavirus cases in Punjab.
Advocate Azhar Siddique, the petitioner’s counsel, alleged that the Auqaf department was charging “extortion” from people in the name of toilet and shoe-keeping fee. He further claimed that the department then used the funds for the disbursement of salaries among their employees.
The chief justice remarked that the Auqaf department should be stripped of its responsibility of managing shrines if it was unable to fulfil it.
Terming it “incompetence” of the Auqaf department, the chief justice questioned authorities about the legality of stationing a person at washrooms and the main entrance to charge an amount for keeping a pair of shoes in custody.
Justice Khan also inquired from the government counsel on what grounds were people coming for prayers being charged. He observed that the government must dole out charity funds for the maintenance of washrooms used by visitors. “Charging Rs10 to each visitor for use of washroom is tantamount to denying entry to the shrine,” the chief justice remarked.
He cited a practice employed by the management of a shrine in Golra Sharif, saying they do no charge visitors for this purpose at all.
The chief justice added that he had recently been to Iran, where no such charges were sought from visitors at shrines.
Justice Qasim Khan also remarked that the Auqaf Department was illegally granting lease in the name of providing facilities.
