Illegal occupation of govt houses: Housing secretary told to resolve CDA, police issue

SC displeased at continued occupation of flats by police officers

ISLAMABAD: The police in the federal capital faced the ire of the top jurist of the country on Tuesday after it was disclosed that its officers, including the top cop in the city, were allegedly illegally forcibly occupying government houses and some 200 quarters.

However, the court directed the housing ministry to look into a property dispute between the police and the civic agency in the federal capital.

This was disclosed on Tuesday as a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court (SC), led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar, heard a case about the occupation of government houses.



During Tuesday’s hearing, the Ministry of Housing told the court that apart from Karachi, there were around 563 government residences which had been illegally occupied. However, the ministry said that they have managed to recover control of around 516 residences.

The court was further told that several houses, especially in the federal capital, were under the control of police officers.

A lawyer for the Capital Development Authority (CDA) told the court that police in the city are still illegally occupying as many as 200 quarters while the Inspector General of Islamabad Police was living in a house reserved for a governing member of the civic agency.

At this, CJP Nisar expressed his displeasure and summoned the Islamabad Police Inspector General Aamir Zulfiqar Khan.

The IGP pleaded innocence before the court, stating that he was unaware of the fact that the government house he was living in was actually reserved for a CDA official.



“I have just learnt about this,” he said.

The CJP remarked that police officers were provided government-built flats in Sector G-6 Aabpara during the operation on Lal Masjid. But once the operation was complete, some police officers refused to vacate the flats.

“If those who are tasked with implementing the law, choose to violate it, then how will things [the country] work,” remarked the CJP.

The CJP directed the housing ministry secretary to look into and resolve the dispute between the CDA and the Islamabad Police on the matter of illegal occupation of government quarters and the matter of the Islamabad IGP illegally occupying a house meant for a CDA official and disposed of the case.

Over 210 flats in Sector G-6, near Aabpara, were built by the CDA in 1997 at a cost of Rs250 million to house government employees. In October 2005, they were used to temporarily house victims of the earthquake.

Around 114 flats were handed over to the police to house them shortly before the Lal Masjid operation began in 2007. Some police officers had retained occupation of the flats long after the operation ended.

In March 2013, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had ordered illegal occupants to vacate all government flats. But five years on, some police officers continued to occupy these flats illegally and apparently owe the state around Rs350 million in outstanding dues.



Even shutting off amenities such as power did not flush the illegal occupants out.

In July last year, the top court gave the CDA a month to evict the illegal occupants but to little avail.

Govt quarters in Karachi

The housing ministry secretary told the court that a committee comprising members of the national assembly has been formed by the government to oversee the evacuation of illegal occupiers of government quarters in Karachi.

At this, the CJP said that he had given two months to the government to vacate the quarters in Karachi after previous attempts created a law and order situation.

Moreover, the CJP said that the Sindh governor had called him and had sought time, assuring that he was personally involved in having the quarters vacated.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2019.