A Pakistani court has issued a final notice to the Punjab government to respond to a petition regarding the renaming of Shadman Chowk in Lahore after Shaheed Bhagat Singh.
On Friday, Justice Shams Mahmood Mirza of the Lahore High Court addressed the petition filed by the Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation, Pakistan, seeking contempt proceedings for the government’s failure to comply with a previous court order.
The petition, submitted by Foundation Chairman Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi, highlights that in 2018, the Lahore High Court had instructed the Punjab government to rename Shadman Chowk, the location where Bhagat Singh was hanged in 1931, in honor of the freedom fighter. However, the government has yet to act on this order.
During the hearing, Punjab Assistant Advocate General Saad Bin Gazi requested more time to respond. The court granted this request, giving the government a “last and final opportunity” to submit a reply, with the next hearing scheduled for November 8.
The petitioner’s counsel, Advocate Khalid Zaman Khan Kakar, urged the court to expedite the decision, stressing the delays in implementing the renaming.
The case remains in focus as many seek recognition for Bhagat Singh’s contributions to the struggle for independence in undivided India. Singh, along with his comrades Raj Guru and Sukh Dev, was executed by British authorities on March 23, 1931, after being convicted of plotting against the colonial regime.