The laxity of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) high-ups in halting the construction of lawyers’ chambers on the greenbelt near the F/8 lower courts proved a problem for the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration, when a newly-appointed assistant commissioner tried to demolish the illegal construction, but had to face strong resentment by the ‘black coats’.
The District Court Association had allotted the land in Sector F/8 to some lawyers for chambers. Some weeks ago, around six lawyers started the construction work by encroaching upon the greenbelt near the entry gate of the lower courts. But some two day ago, the CDA Enforcement Directorate came into action, while Assistant Commissioner (AC) Imran Sultan tried to stop illegal construction. Imran along with some police officials reached the site and started demolishing the under-construction chambers. After the move, a number of lawyers gathered at the spot and stopped the ICT officials from demolishing the chambers, saying they had started the work with the permission of CDA and ICT high-ups. The lawyers also threatened to continue protests until registration of FIR and immediate transfer of the said AC.
However, according to some lawyers, the AC was the guilty person, as he did not consult the deputy commissioner and chief commissioner before taking the action; therefore, both the high-ups and the CDA allowed them to establish their chambers at the greenbelt.
But the whole scenario leaves a big question mark on the performance of the CDA Enforcement Directorate high-ups, who have been enjoying enormous benefits, but failed to stop illegal construction on greenbelts.
It an irony that beside these illegal chambers, a complaint cell of CDA is also situated there. CDA Director Enforcement Muhammad Ramzan Joya, when contacted, said construction on greenbelts was illegal and the authority had not allowed anyone to carry out any type of construction on the greenbelts. When asked him about the construction of chambers, he said the CDA would resolve the issue with consultation.
However, an official source in the CDA Enforcement Directorate, while seeking anonymity, said that a meeting on the same issue had also been held between the CDA chairman and the officials concerned on Friday. He said the CDA may also take action against the construction of chambers.
Islamabad High Court Bar Association (ICBA) President Chaudhry Muhammad Ashraf Gujjar told Pakistan Today that the whole construction was carried out with the permission of local administration and CDA, but AC Imran jumped into the matter without any justification. “Imran misbehaved with lawyers and also tried to demolish their chambers, FIR must be registered against the said official for his unfair act,” said Ashraf.
When asked about the construction of lawyers chambers on greenbelts which have been sprouting with each passing day, he said if the government offices could violate the bye-laws so why the lawyers should shun from doing so. “The old offices of ICT, which are now being used as courtrooms, have also covered a large piece of land by constructing boundary walls around its verandas, but why no one has raised concerns about this illegal practice by government departments,” he asked.
One of the lawyers, whose chambers was also under construction on the same greenbelt, told this scribe that the government had not provided proper place to the lower courts and lawyers too, due to which they were compelled to built chambers at such places. “We know that it is illegal practice to establish chambers on greenbelts, but can anybody tell us that where should we go,” he said, adding that it was a need of every lawyer to have his/her chamber on proper place near the courts but in the capital city the lawyers are in great number but the place allocated for them was not enough.
It is pertinent to mention here that the new building constructed for the district courts is currently housing Islamabad High Court in Sector G/10 but the government has not yet allocate land for the construction of new IHC building due to which the district courts cannot be shifted from F/8 to its new building. However, sources in CDA said that the civic body was also dredging its feet to take action against the illegal chambers, thinking that after the shifting of lower courts to its new proper building, all the lawyers would involuntarily left the encroached land.