The Islamabad High Court (IHC) reserved its judgment on the Navy Sailing Club’s construction on Friday, finding it unlawful, and ordered its destruction within three weeks.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, in announcing the decision on a citizen’s petition, also requested a report on the order’s execution.
The International Court of Justice (IHC CJ) found that “the navy did not have the jurisdiction to engage in any real estate projects,” and that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) did not have the authority to grant no-objection certificates (NOCs) to naval farms.
The court further ordered to initiate criminal and misconduct proceedings against former naval chief Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, who inaugurated the club, as well as other officials.
The CJ maintained that “Pakistan’s armed forces had an important status and their mandate has been defined in the Constitution”. He added that the navy did not have the authority to undertake real estate ventures and that the name of the entity cannot be used for real estate business.
A day earlier, Justice Minallah heard identical cases about the construction of the sailing club and naval farms and reserved the judgment after listening to arguments.
The chief justice stated at the opening of the hearing that the court intended to clarify two things before announcing its verdict.
He inquired if the local body had ever awarded a no-objection certificate to anyone although the legislation did not allow for it. The court went on to inquire if the structures in Zone-IV could be built in 1994.
