Madina Masjid at Tariq Road: SC turns down request to stop demolition of mosque

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a petition filed by the Attorney General seeking recall of the order to demolish the Madina Mosque on Tariq Road in Karachi.

A three-member special bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed adjourned the hearing of the case till January 13 and sought a comprehensive report from the Sindh government.

The Chief Justice said that the order to remove encroachments from the park would not be withdrawn. He said that if he withdraws his orders then what is the purpose of this whole exercise.

Another member of the bench, Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed, remarked that building a mosque on encroached land was an un-Islamic act and Islam did not allow such an act. The judge added that religion was being used to seize land.

However, the attorney general asked the court to reconsider its earlier decision on December 28 regarding the demolition of the mosque, adding that many questions were being raised due to the court order.

However, the Chief Justice told the AGP that the Sindh government should provide a piece of alternative land for the construction of the mosque. The Chief Justice said that we have seen this park where encroachments are established.

The attorney general said he knew it was the duty of the state and provincial government to allocate land for the construction of the mosque, but would ask the court to reverse the order to demolish the mosque.