The Pakistan Supreme Court has denied the government's request to halt the demolition of Karachi's Madina Mosque.

The Pakistan attorney general appeared on behalf of the government in a matter involving the demolition of encroachments in Karachi and requested the apex bench court to rethink the order to destroy the Madina Mosque on Tariq Road. A mosque, shrine, and cemetery erected on 'amenity parks' property near Tariq Road in Karachi were ordered to be demolished by the Supreme Court last week.

"The court has been asked to review its December 28 decision," the attorney general stated, adding that "religious tensions were increasing as a result of the court's ruling, and the mosque's destruction was raising many questions."

Gulzar Ahmed, Pakistan's Chief Justice, stated that the government could offer alternate land for the mosque if it so desired, adding that "I have seen a park in the [mosque's] position with my own eyes."

The attorney general maintained that he was aware that it was the duty of the federal and provincial governments to provide land for the mosque. According to the article, he demanded that the SC reconsider its decision. "All we can do is order a delay of the mosque's demolition until a new location is found," the top justice responded.

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