AHEAD OF SHAHEED BHAGAT SINGH’S 119TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY, FOUNDATION SEEK URGENT HEARING OF PETITION

Raj Sadosh/Abohar.

The Bhagat Singh Memorial Foundation Pakistan has sought urgent hearing of the petition that was pending in the Lahore High Court (LHC) for the Past 13 years. Bhagat Singh’s 119th birth anniversary is to be celebrated on September 27.

The court had considered a plea to revisit the case of Bhagat Singh, a revered hero of the Indian Independence movement, whose life ended tragically in 1931 when he was executed by British colonial rulers. This plea aims to set aside the sentencing and posthumously honor him with state awards.

Singh, along with his comrades Rajguru and Sukhdev, faced grave charges of conspiring against British rule and paid the ultimate price with their lives. Initially imprisoned for life, Singh was later sentenced to death in what is described as a “fabricated case.”

The petition emphasizes Bhagat Singh’s significant role in the fight for independence in the subcontinent. It underscores that Singh is not only respected by Sikhs and Hindus but also by Muslims, as evidenced by the tribute paid to him by the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, during his speeches in the Central Assembly.

Foundation Chairman, Imtiaz Rasheed Qureshi, said in an open appeal that 95 years have passed since Bhagat Singh was hanged. The British denied him justice. Now, his re-open case, which was filed by him, is still pending. Mr Justice Shaukat Ali Khan of the Supreme Court had referred this case to the Chief Justice of Lahore High Court for the constitution of larger Bench hearing. But, the larger Bench has not been formed yet.

Qureshi said that in a similar re-open case, former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was declared innocent and acquitted. “Delay in Justice is denial of Justice, we strongly urge the Chief Justice of the LHC to kindly fix this case for hearing at the earliest possible opportunity,” Qureshi said.