The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday dismissed PML-N veteran Siddiqul Farooq from his chairmanship of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) on the grounds that he had exceeded his three-year tenure.
An SC bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, made the decision while hearing a suo motu case based on media reports that the Katas Raj pond, considered by the followers of Hindu religion a sacred place, is drying out due to water consumption by nearby cement factories.
In Tuesday's session, the chief justice had questioned why Farooq continued to hold the position of ETPB chairman when his term had ended. The bench had previously expressed serious reservations with the way Farooq had administered his responsibilities.
The EPTB is a statutory board that manages religious properties and shrines of Hindus and Sikhs who had migrated to India following the partition.
Today, following a brief courtroom dialogue with the additional attorney general, the chief justice had relieved Farooq of his duties.
Upon being told by the additional attorney general that the tenure of an ETPB chairman is three years, Justice Nisar said: "If that's the case, then Siddiqul Farooq's tenure has ended. Why don't we remove him from his position."
The court proceeded with the dismissal, directing the government to "appoint a new chairman according to the law."
