LAHORE: Chief Justice Lahore High Court (LHC), Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan has ordered the Punjab government to conduct free burial in cemeteries.

The court imposed a ban on the collection of money for burial in cemeteries across Punjab. Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan issued an eight-page written verdict.

Justice Muhammad Qasim Khan stated in the written verdict that the Punjab government should amend the law regarding burial of the deceased. The Chief Justice also included hadiths and international laws in the verdict.

Chief Justice Qasim Khan wrote in the decision that citizens pay taxes to the government all their lives for buying various items. Even in death, they are charged money in the name of graves and other things, he added.

“It is the responsibility of the government to bear the cost of burial of the citizens. The law should be amended so that the administration can provide free transport to the cemetery for burial,” he remarked.

It was further suggested in the verdict that administration should take steps to maintain the cemeteries and plant trees. It was also made compulsory for Lahore Development Authority (LDA) to allocate land for graveyards in private housing societies.