Islamabad High Court (IHC) orders the demolition of the Navy Sailing Club established at the bank of Rawal Lake. Owing to its illegal construction, IHC ordered its demolition within three weeks.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah announced the verdict. He also directed “criminal” and “misconduct” proceedings against former navy chief Admiral (retd) Zafar Mahmood Abbasi and others responsible for the construction of the “illegal” sailing club.
According to IHC, Pakistan Navy does not have the authority to undertake a real estate venture. Furthermore, no one can use the name of the institution for such activities. The IHC also noted that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) cannot issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the Pakistan Navy, as the institution had encroached on National Park’s land.
“If you receive a request for the issuance of an NOC either to an illegal housing society or a naval sailing club, you should throw away the petition right at the outset,” Justice Minallah admonished the CDA.
Read more: Encroachment in Pakistan: A national psyche
“The sailing club is illegal, and therefore, it should be demolished in three weeks,” the IHC judge said.
IHC orders demolition of 'illegal' Navy Sailing Club in three weeks pic.twitter.com/alOFfR7ezf
— agha tahir (@aghatahir4) January 7, 2022
Strict action against illegal buildings
Important to note, authorities are taking strict action against buildings illegally constructed. The demolition of the Naval Sailing Club is the latest in a round of such decisions.
Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) ordered to demolish a mosque, shrine, and cemetery built on amenity parks’ land near Tariq Road in Karachi.
A division bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed heard a case against the construction of Madinah Mosque on the land meant for a park. Chief Justice Gulzar expressed anger over the occupation of the land. He reprimanded the district administrator over Karachi’s condition.
Similarly, the SC also ordered the demolition of the illegal 15-storey Nasla Tower in Karachi. The SC ordered the anti-corruption department to register a case against those involved in approving the building plan. The court directed the police to register a separate case against the officials.
Read more: The Supreme Court’s verdict on Nasla tower is setting unsettling precedent