LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday sought a reply from the caretaker government of Punjab about the proposed exhibition of a huge national flag at the Liberty Chowk with a cost of Rs40m on the Independence Day.

Justice Raheel Kamran Sheikh heard a petition filed by a citizen, Amir Sikandar.

A counsel for the petitioner argued that the country was facing an economic crisis and the federal government secured loan facilities from International Monetary Fund (IMF) and friendly countries. On the other hand, he argued, the caretaker government of Punjab announced funds of Rs40m to be spent from the public kitty for hoisting a national flag at Liberty Market as part of the Independence Day celebrations. He said spending a huge amount on the preparation of only a flag was tantamount to misusing public money.

The counsel asked the court to restrain the government from wasting public money on a useless purpose.

The judge directed a government’s lawyer to submit a reply to the petition and explain the reasons for spending a heavy amount on hoisting a flag.

The judge would resume hearing on Aug 4.

Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd, 2023