IHC halts closure of private hotel

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday adjourned the hearing of a petition challenging the closure of Tandoori Junction, a private hotel located in F-7 Markaz. The court ordered all involved parties to respond within 15 days.

Chief Justice Aamer Farooq presided over the case, with Advocate Qaiser Imam representing the petitioner, Javed Asif. The respondents included Faisal Naeem, Director General of the Building Control Authority; Yaqoob Mastoi, representing the Directorate of Municipal Administration (MDA) and Municipal Corporation Islamabad (MCI); Raheel Junejo, Deputy Director of the CDA; and Shehryar Tariq, the CDA's lawyer. Advocate Zaheerud Din Babar appeared on behalf of Hill View, a nearby private hotel.

During the proceedings, Babar requested that all related cases be heard together. While Chief Justice Farooq noted that the other cases were unrelated, he agreed to combine them at Babar's request. The CJ questioned the Capital Development Authority (CDA) about its actions, highlighting that they first sealed the hotel, labelled it illegal, and then ordered its closure. He also inquired whether Assistant Commissioner Farhan Ahmad had appeared before the court