Banigala land grabbing case judgement reserved

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday reserved its judgment in a petition challenging the alleged illegal occupation on government land in Banigala by Senator Aurangzeb Orakzai.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani remarked that NAB should move a reference against Senator Aurangzeb Orakzai, Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) for this illegality.

Justice Kayani, hearing the case, expressed annoyance with the CDA and remarked that a senator had been allowed to occupy a complete mountain. The bench observed that someone was preparing personal roads on government land while some people were constructing clubs and swimming pools on it.

Justice Kayani said: "Let us send the matter to chairman senate so that he would also know about the activities of members of the upper house."

The court asked the CDA lawyer that whether illegal houses and structures in Banigala should be demolished. To this the counsel of the civic body said that the matter of illegal constructions was pending before the top court.

Justice Kayani questioned the lawyer that if the CDA had told the Supreme Court that a senator had been allowed to occupy around one thousand kanal on land in Banigala.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 11^th, 2020.