ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on Punjab government and issued a notice to Chairman Evacuee Trust Board Property (ETPB) Siddique ul Farooq in the Katas Raj case.

The three-member bench expressed its reservation on the absence of Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Saeed and chairman Planning and Development Commission in today?s suo motu hearing.

The chief justice remarked that if the water of the pond adjacent to Katas Raj temple is depleting because of the cement factories located close to it, then the factories should make other arrangements to get water.

The historic pond, a revered site for Hindus, is said to have depleted due to the operations of cement factories nearby which have sucked out the underground water.

Chief Justice Nisar stated that Katas Raj?s temple and pond should be restored to its original state. He observed that China Pakistan Economic Corridor is an important developmental project for Pakistan, adding that the court wants the resolution of all disputes related to it.

Chief justice berates ETPB chairman during Katas Raj hearing

Chief Justice Nisar observed that protecting minorities is part of our religion

In its previous hearing, the Supreme Court came down hard on the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), which looks after affairs of minorities' properties in the country, and its chairman, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz's Siddiqul Farooq.

During the hearing, the chief justice summoned from the ETPB details of the properties operated by it and the funds generated from them.

The chief justice warned that if the details are not presented at the next hearing, ETPB Chairman Siddiqul Farooq should leave his post.

?Where institutions will not do anything, we will,? he remarked, adding that in such cases there should be no complaints of the court exceeding its jurisdiction.

"Farooq?s credentials for the appointment are his 30 years of political service," observed the chief justice, adding that someone who collected newspapers in the party office was appointed to such an important post.