Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday directed the Capital Development Authority to vacate the government offices situated in residential areas of Islamabad and submit its compliance report before the court.

A three-judge bench headed by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and comprising Justice Dost Muhammad and Justice Maqbool Baqar took up different petitions against business and commercial activities in the residential areas of the Capital.

During the course of hearing, the counsel for the Capital Development Authority Advocate Shahid Hamid, submitted a list of 45 houses which are being used as government offices in residential areas. The counsel informed the court that the above mentioned offices include the Information Ministry, Petroleum Ministry, Board of Revenue, NADRA, Pakistan Post, Law Ministry, Pakistan Railways and the Anti-Narcotics Department.

In its report, the CDA conceded that its officials were not allowed to enter 14 offices but the agency can confirm they are under government control. The CDA also submitted a list of 44 houses situated in the residential areas and being used by foreign missions, embassies and international non-government organizations.

The report also mentioned that plots had been allotted to a number of these foreign missions in the Diplomatic Enclave but they are still operating in residential areas.

However, the report also stated that no plots had been allotted in the enclave for official residences of Cuban and Yemen ambassadors, so both envoys continue living in residential areas. It added the embassies of South Africa, Turkmenistan Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam and Algeria are operating from residential units as no lands had been allotted to them.

The Counsel for the CDA informed the court that notices had been issued to the owners of units rented to diplomatic missions while the matter had also been put up before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Counsel for petitioners, Aslam Khaki, informed the court that the main road had been completely blocked in order to provide security to Federal Investigation Agency Headquarters.

Additional Advocate General, Amir Rehman, informed the top court that the prime minister had given the deadline of May 31 for vacating the government offices situated in residential areas. Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed observed that exposing sensitive buildings was not “our job and we cannot make buildings of sensitive institutions a target for terrorists but violation of law will also not be tolerated and it will be fully implemented to achieve the objectives”. The bench while seeking the compliance report of its order regarding vacating offices from residential areas adjourned the hearing for the first week of June.