Virus a tool to mint money: LHC admits plea against PM, CM for hearing

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan Monday accepted a petition for hearing against prime minister, Punjab chief minister and other government functionaries, alleging that they were using coronavirus as a tool to mint money.

However, the CJ warned the petitioner that he would be fined Rs10 lakh if he failed to establish his case. As the hearing started, Justice Qasim Khan asked the petitioner who he was. The petitioner replied he was an air-conditioner mechanic. The CJ exhorted him that earning livelihood for his children was his prime duty and he should put his all energies for that purpose.

The petitioner said he was a human-being and he wanted to serve mankind, adding that he made all-out efforts to provide a better living to his children. Justice Khan set aside the LHC registrar’s office and ordered for fixing the petition for preliminary hearing.

The office had objected to the petition that it was not maintainable. The petitioner, Azhar Abbas, filed his petition through Shahid Pervez Kahloon Advocate, stating that research and evidence of past three to four months established that there was no coronavirus in the country, especially in Punjab. But the prime minister, chief minister are lying to the nation while the media and doctors had become their facilitators.

He said every voice against COVID-19 was being silenced, adding that doctors had failed to find out its treatment, but the media was glorifying and giving them unnecessary coverage. He said that under the Constitution, every citizen was holder of his own “body and will” and could not be forced to follow virus-related lockdown and standard operating procedures (SOPs). They should be free to get treatment of their own choice. He said different people were presenting different treatments for the virus but the government was paying no attention to them, while prime minister was seeking alms from the world.

He said patients suffering from different diseases were being shown as corona patients to get financial help from other countries. He said he had also filed an application with the Old Anarkali police station for registration of a murder and attempt to murder cases against prime minister. He requested the court to hold prime minister and other government functionaries answerable and declare coronavirus related lockdown and SOPs illegal.