IHC extends stay on allotment of plots in capital

CJ Athar Minallah says people evicted to build the city in 1960 have yet to receive compensation

ISLAMABAD: A stay on the allotment of plots by the civic agency in the federal capital was extended on Wednesday. However, an exception for plots allotted after open auctions was also upheld.

This was directed by a single-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah, as he presiding over a case pertaining affectees of land acquired for various sectors of the federal capital and the long-overdue compensation to evicted people.

Presenting a report on the performance of the commission set-up by the court to ensure paying compensation to the affected people, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Capital Development Authority (CDA) Affairs Ali Nawaz Awan said that an advertisement in this regard will be issued in the two days.

He asserted that the government wanted to provide relief to the people who had been evicted from their ancestral lands to build the federal capital in 1960.

The court expressed satisfaction on the commission’s performance and remarked that it was working excellently.

CJ Minallah said that providing relief to the common man has never been a priority for anyone in power. He, however, lamented that the federal capital had been built and later expanded, but it still has no space for a sessions courts, hospitals and other such amenities.

He said that first, compensation will be paid to people whose lands had been acquired in 1960 when work had first started on developing the new capital of Pakistan.

“People have been running from pillar to post to secure compensation for their land for decades but they have been denied justice,” he said.

Noting that this is the first time the matter has come to light, the IHC chief justice remarked that governments around the world pay higher than market rates to acquire land from people, whereas in Pakistan, evictees have been wandering, seeking justice since 1960.

CJ Minallah further remarked that why not plots allotted to influential people are handed over to the affectees.

Awan pointed out that Sector-I had been created to allocate plots for low-income people under a 1996 policy. To this, the chief justice replied that this was a classic example of favouring influential segments of society.

Minallah said that the commission has extensive powers and it could formulate a new policy if required. The SAPM on CDA complained to the court that some elements were targeting him on social media even though he had done a lot of work.

“You can check my twitter account to see how people were abusing me,” he said.

The court told allottees to remain confident in their elected representatives and let the commission do its work. The court further directed the government to fill vacant seats in CDA’s land department and adjourned the hearing until February 3.

During the hearing, the CDA Labour Union filed a plea to become a party to the case. At this, CJ Minallah directed them to file a separate petition for the purpose.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 16^th, 2020.