Commercial activities in residential areas

Which law allows PM to give deadline to govt offices, asks SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday asked under which law the prime minister gave the deadline of May 31 to vacate the residential units being used by government offices.

Additional Advocate General Amir Rehman, while appearing before the court, submitted that the prime minister had given a deadline of May 31 for vacating the government offices situated in residential areas.

The SC ordered the vacating of government offices situated in residential areas of the federal capital as it was non-conforming use of houses and directed the federal government to submit a comprehensive compliance report.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed, resumed hearing into a suo moto case on blockades and encroachments made in the name of security in residential areas of Islamabad.

At the outset of the hearing, Shahid Hamid, representing the Capital Development Authority (CDA), submitted a list of 45 houses being used as government offices in residential areas. These offices, he said, included the Ministry of Information, Ministry of Petroleum, Federal Board of Revenue, Nadra offices, Federal Board of Revenue, Pakistan Post, Ministry of Law, Pakistan Railways and Anti Narcotics Force.

The report further stated that its officials were not allowed to enter 14 offices but the agency could confirm they were under government control.Similarly, the report further submitted a list of 44 houses situated in residential areas and being used by foreign missions, embassies and international non-government organisations (INGOS).

Likewise, the report revealed that plots had been allotted to a number of these foreign missions in the Diplomatic Enclave but they were still operating from residential areas. The report, however, stated that no plots had been allotted in the enclave for official residences of Cuban and Yemeni ambassadors, so both envoys continued living in residential areas. The report submitted that embassies of South Africa, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam and Algeria were operating from residential units as no lands had been allotted to them.

In this respect, Shahid Hamid, counsel for the CDA, told the court that notices had been issued to the owners of units rented to diplomatic missions while the matter had also been put up before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Meanwhile, Aslam Khaki, representing some petitioners, told the court that the main road had been completely blocked due to the security provided to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) headquarters.

Later, the court adjourned the hearing till the first week of June after directing the federal government to submit the compliance report on vacating the government offices from  residential areas of the federal capital.