During the hearing, Climate Change Secretary Naheed Durrani took full responsibility for the deaths, saying the federal cabinet has no role in the affairs of the zoo. At this, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that the federal cabinet gave the approval for the board; hence it is also responsible.
The IHC CJ rejected the deputy attorney general's request to not issue show-cause notices and asked Durrani and Adviser to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam to submit a reply to the notices.
The investigation carried out by the climate change secretary is a separate matter, but by not following the directives of this court, contempt of court was committed, the IHC chief justice observed.
The court issued show-cause notices for contempt of court to the climate change minister, adviser and secretary, and members of the board, and adjourned the hearing till August 27.
In May, the high court had ordered the authorities concerned to shift animals to wildlife sanctuaries due to the poor state of the zoo. However, the process of transferring animals to other zoos or private sanctuaries proved to be deadly for some wild animals.