A proposal to rename Shadman Chowk in Lahore after Bhagat Singh and install his statue has been dropped based on the opinion of a retired military official, according to the district government of Lahore in the Punjab province of Pakistan.
In a written response submitted to the Lahore High Court (LHC) by Assistant Advocate General Asghar Leghari on Friday, serious accusations were made against the freedom fighter.
"A proposed plan of the city district government Lahore to name Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh and place his statue there has been scrapped in light of an observation submitted by Commodore (retd.) Tariq Majeed," the Metropolitan Corporation of Lahore said, news agency PTI reported.
The response came in reply to a contempt petition filed by Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation Pakistan Chairman Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi in the LHC.
It stated that Majeed, employed by the government in a committee to rename Shadman Chowk after Singh, in his observations outlined that Bhagat Singh "was not a revolutionary but a criminal, in today’s terms he was a terrorist, he killed a British police officer, and for this crime, he was hanged along with two accomplices". Majeed advised against naming the chowk after Singh or installing his statue.
Bhagat Singh Foundation Is Acting Against Islamic Ideology And Pakistani Culture: Report
The report further alleges that Singh was influenced by "religious leaders opposed to Muslims" and claims that the Bhagat Singh Foundation is acting against Islamic ideology and Pakistani culture, recommending that it be banned.
"Don't the officials of the foundation, who call themselves Muslims, know that it is not acceptable to name a place after an atheist in Pakistan and that Islam prohibits human statues?" it asked.
In response, Qureshi told PTI on Sunday that Bhagat Singh is widely recognised as a great revolutionary, freedom fighter, and martyr. "I will send a legal notice to retired Commodore Majeed for levelling serious allegations against the Bhagat Singh Foundation and contest his stance on Bhagat Singh," he said.
Qureshi has included the district government, DC Lahore, Chief Secretary Punjab, and Administrator of the City District Government as respondents in a contempt of court petition.
Filed through Advocate Khalid Zaman Khan Kakar, the petition notes that LHC Justice Shahid Jamil Khan had directed authorities on September 5, 2018, to proceed with naming Shadman Chowk after Bhagat Singh, but the order has yet to be enforced.
Due to the unavailability of the petitioner’s lawyer, LHC Justice Shams Mehmood Mirza postponed the contempt petition hearing until January 17, 2025.