The Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered the de-sealing of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)’s Central Secretariat in Islamabad.
Earlier the court on Monday reserved a verdict on PTI’s petition against the sealing of this office.
Justice Thaman Rifat Imtiaz of the IHC announced this decision today.
The CDA on May 24 (Thursday) night sealed this office of the PTI in Sector G-84 of the federal capital for violating building by-laws as part of its crackdown on illegal constructions and encroachments. The constructions at the PTI Secretariat were demolished with a heavy contingent of police present outside its premises. The PTI was alleged for constructing an additional floor on the plot in violation of the building by-laws. This operation led to a confrontation between PTI workers and the police. The police also arrested PTI’s Islamabad President Aamir Mughal. The CDA said this operation was conducted in collaboration with the district administration involving anti-encroachment teams equipped with machinery.
It said several warnings and notices were served to the owner of the plot over the past few years. They were issued on November 19, 2020, February 22, 2021, and June 14, 2022, followed by a show-cause notice on September 4, 2023. The CDA claimed that none of these notices was met with compliance and this led the CDA to issue a sealing order on May 10, 2024.
The PTI’s Secretary General and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub through PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen challenged this matter in the IHC pleading that the CDA included all the notices in its record but instead of sending them to the PT, it sent then the land owner Sartaj Ali. The CDA lawyer pleaded that the PTI accepted buying commercial land and alleged that the Party used it for political purposes. He stated that people living around this were affected and PTI illegally constructed a floor on the land. The petitioner termed this operation of the CDA and sealing of its secretariat unlawful, mala fide, political victimization, and without following the due process of law. It said it was contrary to the provisions as enunciated under the Constitution of Pakistan.
It said that Arshad Dad and Naseem ur Rehman, members of the PTI Central Finance Board, through an agreement dated July 17, 2020, purchased commercial plot No.1-A, measuring/size 30X48, 160 square yards situated at Shopping Centre, Sector G-8/4-2, Islamabad, from Sartaj Ali. Sartaj Ali, the seller then wrote a letter dated July 29, 2020, to the CDA for the transfer of allotment of the plot in question. The CDA, vide letter dated July 30, 2020, after considering the request, transferred the plot in the name of PTI.
It stated that on May 23, 2024, at about 11:15 pm, the petitioner through electronic media came to know that the CDA along with Islamabad police, demolished the PTI’s head office situated at the said plot. The petitioner asked the CDA and police officials to show any order or notice about encroachment, but the officials instead of listening to what was asked, started demolishing the office, which is illegal, it said.
It added that after sealing and demolishing some areas of this PTI’s office, the officials stated to the media that PTI was not the owner of the plot, but it belonged to Sartaj Ali. It said that this claim of the government was contrary to the letter dated July 30, 2020, of the CDA according to which the said plot was transferred in the name of PTI. Lawyers Shoaib Shaheen and Umair Baloch of the PTI, Hafiz Arafat on behalf of the CDA, and state counsel Malik Abdul Rehman from the district administration appeared before the court. the court terming the action of the government as an illegal order for the de-sealing of this office.
(By Rana Kashif)
