PESHAWAR, Nov 5: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister to constitute a commission for looking into security, environmental and other issues related to construction of Maulana Mufti Mahmood Flyover, situated close to the Peshawar Central Prison, high court and other important installations.

A two-member bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Musarrat Hilali ordered that the chief minister should constitute the commission, which should compile a detailed report within 20 days.

It was directed that the report should be subsequently submitted to the court by the principal secretary to the chief minister. The hearing was adjourned and next date of hearing would be decided later on.

The bench observed that it had issued identical orders to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief secretary on May 5, 2013, but so far no action was taken on that order.

The bench was hearing a writ petition, filed by late Barrister Baachaa before his death. The president of Peshawar High Court Bar Association, Ishtiaq Ibrahim, appeared before the bench and stated that the petition was filed by his late colleague and the association wanted to continue it.

Mr Ibrahim pointed that there were several important issues attached to the under-construction Maulana Mufti Mahmood Flyover, especially security and environmental.

He stated that the flyover had been passing nearby the high court, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, Nishtar Hall, Peshawar jail and other important buildings and it was a security threat to those buildings.

He said that the flyover would also cause environmental degradation in the area as its construction created traffic hazard on Sher Shah Suri Road.

The PHC chief justice observed that the court had from the very beginning of the project expressed reservations on different issues attached to it. He observed that the project was started without proper homework and several important aspects were ignored.

Few months ago the counsel of Peshawar Development Authority, Amir Javed, had assured the court that the project would be completed in Dec 2013. He had stated that 12 feet tall safety walls would be constructed along both sides of the flyover that would not be having any opening.