The Supreme Court of Pakistan. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday directed the ministry of housing and works secretary to submit a report on unauthorised allotments of official residences in the capital.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ijaz Afzal and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed also directed the secretary to furnish details of relevant cases which were pending before civil courts and stay orders which had been issued in this regard.
The district and sessions judges of Islamabad East and West were also directed to present details of cases regarding the allocation and possession of official residences in Islamabad by March 7.
During the proceedings, acting ministry of housing and works secretary Amina Imran Khan informed the court that a number of cases were currently pending with civil and district courts under what she termed ‘frivolous’ litigation, adding that the occupants, most of whom were unauthorised, had obtained stay orders from the court.
She maintained that unauthorised occupants – most of whom belonged to Islamabad police and PTCL staff among other organisations – had prolonged their occupation in as many as 400 residential units after obtaining stay orders from various courts.
“What have you done to get these stay orders vacated and contest the cases before the court? Your staff seems to be part of the problem,” remarked Justice Saeed in response to the secretary’s statement.
The issue gathered the SC’s ire on Thursday when, while hearing a petition regarding the illegal occupation of a quarter in G-6/2, the bench learnt that an assistant estate officer (AEO) issued an allocation letter while the matter was pending before the court.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2013.
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