IHC maintains order to keep sailing club sealed

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday maintained its orders to keep the Naval Sailing Club on Rawal Lake bank sealed and construction at Naval Farms stopped till next hearing of the case.

Justice Athar Minallah hearing the petition against the alleged illegal construction said that environment has been destroyed that too by using the state machinery.

Malik Qamar Afzal Advocate appeared on behalf of the Naval Farms and former attorney general Ashtar Ausaf Ali represented the naval chief before the bench. Zainab Janjua, counsel for the petitioner, said that construction work was going on at Naval Farms despite the court's stay. The chief justice remarked that the court would not allow any violation of his order, “it will be an insult to the uniform if we take contempt of court notice.”

Ausaf requested the court to allow service and repair of boats at the sailing centre which was approved.

Malik Qamar said that the naval club established on the bank of Rawal Lake was not a commercial venture there was a misconception about this.

During the hearing, the chief justice said there was no rule of law in the country. "It seems, the law was only for weak sections of the society," he said, adding that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) Revenue Department and station house officer of the concerned area used to be involved in such illegality.

He asked the CDA lawyer that to state clearly that the civic body could not implement the laws.

The IHC chief justice observed that the environment of the Margalla Hills National Park and the federal capital has been destroyed. “Our next generation will pay the price of environmental destruction,” he said adding that kiosks were demolished without notices but encroachment by mega-malls and plazas were ignored. There should be no discrimination in law to treat the society, he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 20^th, 2020.