ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday ordered the demolition of the Navy Sailing Club built on the banks of the Rawal Lake within three weeks.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah announced the reserved verdict and ordered action against a former naval chief. In his brief order, Justice Minallah ruled that the navy does not have the authority to undertake a real estate venture and the name of the institution could not be used for such activities.
“Pakistan Army has an important status which is mandated in the constitution. The Navy doesn’t have the power to undertake a real estate venture. The name of the institution can’t be used for a real estate business,” said the order.
The IHC said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was not empowered to issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the Pakistan Navy, as the institution had encroached on a national park’s land. “The sailing club is illegal, and therefore, it should be demolished in three weeks,” the judge said.
Justice Minallah said that former Naval Chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, who approved the construction of the club, should be charged for misconduct and instructed authorities to initiate a criminal inquiry against him.
The court ordered to initiate “criminal” and “misconduct” proceedings against the former navy chief and others responsible for the construction of the “illegal” sailing club.
In 2020, a resident of Islamabad had filed a petition stating the construction of a commercial venture in the Islamabad National Park is illegal.
Later that year, the court started hearing the case. The counsel of the club had argued that in 1991, the government had allotted the land to the Pakistan Navy for sailing practice.
A final decision in the case was not taken due to prolonged gaps in the hearings. The court had imposed a restriction on the construction of the club and sealed it.
