The Sindh High Court (SHC) has rejected a petition that sought the elimination of entrance fees for visitors to the mausoleum of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
According to the verdict of the two-judge bench, led by Chief Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, the respondents had the authority to levy a reasonable entrance fee, as well as parking fees, in compliance with relevant law and the decision of the Mazar management board.
The bench added that the petitioner, whether a public servant or an employee of a corporation, should prioritize their work or duty over filing frivolous petitions in the SHC. They warned the petitioner against filing similar petitions, as they may be dismissed with substantial costs.
During the hearing’s commencement, a federal law officer informed the bench that the petitioner was an employee of the PTCL and had a tendency to file petitions under the garb of public interest litigations.
In its order, the bench noted that the petition appeared to have been filed without sufficient knowledge of Section 5 of the Quaid-i-Azam Mazar (Protection and Maintenance) Ordinance, 1971, which authorizes the respondents to oversee the maintenance of the Mazar.
In 2022, Waqef Shah petitioned the SHC against the authorities for imposing an entrance fee on visitors to the mausoleum. He argued that other prominent parks and mausoleums in Lahore, such as Minar-i-Pakistan and the mausoleum of Allama Muhammad Iqbal, do not charge an entry fee.
Shah contended that the Rs30 entry fee at the Quaid-i-Azam mausoleum lacked transparency, as it did not specify which parts of the mausoleum were under maintenance, nor did it provide vendor information on the entry tickets.
The petitioner sought directives for allowing visitors to the mausoleum without charging an entry fee and requested complete details and standard operating procedures (SOPs) regarding the maintenance of the mausoleum.
