LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Division Bench will take up a crucial Intra-Court Appeal (ICA) filed by the Lahore Cantonment Board (LCB) on Monday (today), a development that could determine the future of the long-delayed CB Medical College and Teaching Hospital project.
A LHC division bench comprising Justice Ch. Muhammad Iqbal and Justice Malik Waqar Haider Awan will take it up while Advocate Khurram Chughtai will represent the Lahore Cantonment Board (LCB) in the case.
The LCB through its counsel Advocate Khurram Chughtai, expressed serious concerns over public assets worth an estimated Rs15 billion that remain unused. The counsel submitted that these include a purpose-built 500-bed teaching hospital and the operational Cantonment General Hospital, both envisioned to provide advanced medical services to residents of Lahore and adjoining areas.
He further submitted that while these facilities deteriorated, the public continued to be denied critical healthcare services.
Khurram Chughtai contended that the ICA contested the single bench verdict on substantial legal grounds. He pointed to what he termed a serious judicial irregularity, arguing that the single bench granted multiple reliefs to the petitioner suo moto, reliefs that were never sought in the original petition. He argued that by granting what was not prayed for, the judgment ventured beyond the permissible scope of pleadings.
Chughtai further argued that the ongoing legal stalemate benefited only “a few individuals with purported commercial interests,” while the public interest was sidelined. He emphasized that the courts traditionally prioritize public welfare when national assets are at stake.
According to the Board’s legal team, the delays in the project already inflicted over Rs1 billion in losses on the public exchequer. The losses stem from depreciation of completed infrastructure, while operational and maintenance costs went up due to inflation, he further argued.
He contended that it is extremely rare in legal history for a court to halt essential healthcare services through such reliefs, pointing out that even in times of war, the hospitals remained open.
Despite the continued legal challenges, the LCB maintained that the balance of convenience clearly favors the public interest. The administration states that through a transparent leasing model and systematic implementation, the medical complex can be transformed into a cutting-edge healthcare and teaching institution—one that not only serves millions but also generates sustainable revenue for the self-governing body.
