Daily Times

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday turned down a restaurant owner’s request to withdraw his case and remarked that prima facie allocating eight thousands kanals of land of Margalla Hills National Park to the military directorate was illegal.

The court instructed the federal government to review its notification of 2016 regarding the Margalla hill national park land. The court said, the federal government was taking concrete measures to deal with climate change but the Margalla Hills National Park was being ignored adding there is no rule of law in the Capital.

“It was the duty of Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) to highlight the violations in Margalla hills but it had confined itself to trail 4, 5 and 6,” the court observed.

“Why and how the land was given to the military directorate, the court asked the attorney general who submitted that this was a very important issue and he would give his advise the federal government in this regard.

The court instructed the federal government to conduct a survey in Margalla hills national park and stop illegal constructions there.

“Why not the court should pass an order to public the names who illegally occupied the land at Margalla hills” chief justice asked. Chief Justice observed that environmental agency and wildlife management board was not doing its job. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) had done nothing except allotting plots to the people, he added.