Pak SC sacks chairman of ETPB which manages Katas Raj temple

Pakistan's Supreme Court today sacked the chairman of the Evacuee Trust Property Board which manages the historic Katas Raj temple and other shrines of Hindus and Sikhs who had migrated to India following the partition.
A bench, headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar, dismissed ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz veteran Siddiqul Farooq from his chairmanship of the board on the grounds that he had exceeded his three-year tenure, Dawn reported.
The bench made the decision while hearing a suo motu case based on media reports that the Katas Raj pond, considered by the followers of Hindu religion a sacred place, is drying out due to water consumption by nearby cement factories.

The sacred pond in the historic Katas Raj temple complex in Chakwal district of Punjab is receding as the underground aquifer feeding it is under stress due to industrial activity.
Chief justice Nisar last year ordered a probe into the matter and after finding out that the statues of Lord Ram and Hanuman are missing from the temple, he questioned the ETPB if these statues are with the institution or had been sold.
He yesterday questioned why Farooq continued to hold the position of ETPB chairman when his term had ended. He had previously expressed serious reservations with the way Farooq had administered his responsibilities.

The court yesterday imposed a token Rs 1,000 fine on the Punjab province over its failure to implement its directives to probe reasons behind drying up of the sacred pond.

Today, following a brief courtroom dialogue with the additional attorney general, the chief justice had relieved Farooq of his duties.
Upon being told by the additional attorney general that the tenure of an ETPB chairman is three years, Justice Nisar said: "If that's the case, then Siddiqul Farooq's tenure has ended. Why don't we remove him from his position."
The court proceeded with the dismissal, directing the government to "appoint a new chairman according to the law."

The EPTB is a statutory board that manages religious properties and shrines of Hindus and Sikhs who had migrated to India following the partition.
The name 'Katas' is derived from Kataksha, a Sanskrit word meaning 'tearful eyes'. According to legend, the pond was formed after Lord Shiva wept upon the death of his wife Satti
BJP leader L K Advani during his trip to Pakistan in 2005 also visited Katas Raj and inaugurated conservation work being carried out by the government of Pakistan.