LAHORE: Weeks after grilling Sindh government for its failure to provide clean drinking water to Karachiites, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Tuesday resumed hearing of an old suo motu notice of a similar issue in Punjab and expressed his resolve to protect the “right to life” of the citizens.

Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed and other officials were present in the court when a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court led by the CJP heard the case at Lahore registry. Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Ijazul Ahsan were the other members of the bench.

In addition to the contaminated water issue, the CJP also posed critical queries to the chief secretary about the steps being or had been taken by the provincial government to provide citizens with quality education and health facilities.

The CJP asked the chief secretary point blank whether he knew the level of arsenic in the drinking water being supplied to the citizens at their houses, hospitals and schools.

He further asked the top bureaucrat of the province, “Do you know the fee being charged by private educational institutions”.

The CJP, however, observed that the court would definitely admire the efforts of the government if found its work satisfactory.

“We have taken notice of the poor civil amenities in Karachi and now its Punjab’s turn,” the CJP said and asked the chief secretary to also accompany the judges of the bench on their visit to the city’s hospitals.

Later, CJP Nisar and other judges of the bench visited the Mayo Hospital and examined the facilities being provided to the patients there.

The chief secretary also accompanied the judges while medical superintendent of the hospital apprised them of the facilities being provided to the patients.

The CJP reminded the authorities that the court would not tolerate any negligence in health and education sectors and would keep a continuous check on the government’s actions.

He directed them to install water filtration plants at the hospital to provide clean drinking water to the patients and visitors.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2017