20000113

Ch. Rehmat Ali body shifting case

Petitioner directed to present proofs from Islamic history

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) adjourned the proceedings for two weeks in a petition filed for bringing back the body of Chaudhry Rehmat Ali, the man credited with coming the word 'Pakistan', and directed the petitioner to present any citation from Islamic history for shifting the body from one country to another.

The court also asked the petitioner to explain as to whether English laws allowed the shifting of a buried body to another country.

The petitioner contended that Chaudhry Rehmat Ali had rendered great service to Pakistan hence his body should be brought back from the cemetery in Cambridge.

He added that a single bench of the august court had dismissed his petition on the grounds that the petitioner had no locus standi on the issue.

He contended that he had approached the relatives of Chaudhry Rehmat Ali and had got their consent in this regard and they had allowed him to move the court for this purpose.

He also contended that Ch. Rehmat was our national hero hence any citizen of Pakistan could move the court for bringing back his body and the matter of locus standi was not relevant.

He, therefore, prayed to the court to direct the respondent government to bring back the body of Chaudhry Rehmat Ali and bury it on the premises of Convention Centre Islamabad.