Katas Raj Temple case: SC removes ETPB Chairman Siddiqul Farooq

ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The three-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar sacked ETPB Chairman Siddiqul Farooq on Wednesday. The action was taken during the hearing of a suo motu in the Katas Raj Temple case. The CJP remarked that Siddiqul Farooq was appointed on political basis, ordering the government to appoint a new chairman under the relevant rules. The court had summoned Farooq to defend his appointment and role in the Evacuee Trust Property Board, which looks after affairs of minorities' religious places in the country. On Tuesday, the bench had fined the Punjab Assistant Advocate General Asma Hamid Rs 1,000 and issued a notice to Farooq to appear in person. Earlier, the court had berated the ETPB chief over his disappointing performance and wondered whether his appointment was a case of nepotism. During the Wednesday hearing, the chief justice came down hard on Farooq asking him how he could retain his job after his assigned term had expired. The chief justice then ordered the federal government to remove him from the post and appoint an apolitical person.