Directed for issuance of notice to the respondents; Sheikh Ansar has been trying to damage cricket infrastructure and elected cricket administration system, says ICA secretary
Islamabad
An Additional District and Sessions Judge of Islamabad has restrained the Municipal Corporation Islamabad (MCI) and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) from taking unlawful and illegal action against the National Cricket Ground.
In her orders, Additional Sessions Judge Rukhshanda Shaheen on Monday restrained the MCI and CDA from dispossessing Shabbir Ahmad, President of the National Cricket Club, from ground till further order.
“The respondents (MCI and CDA) are restrained from dispossessing the appellant (Shabbir Ahmad) from the ground illegally, unlawfully and without due process of law,” the court in the orders said.
The court observed that the points raised by the appellant against action of the MCI and CDA needed due consideration.
The Additional Sessions Judge has also directed for issuance of notice to the MCI and CDA.
CDA and MCI unlawfully and illegally taken over possession of National Ground by using force some days back on the reported instructions of Mayor MCI and CDA Chairman Sheikh Ansar acting allegedly on behalf of one of his driver-friend who's son wanted to run the ground.
Appellant Shabbir Ahmed, allottee of National Ground, has been running and supervising the ground since 2006 when CDA under the instructions from Parliament gave alternate ground to him. In fact, CDA gave alternate grounds to clubs, following these cricket grounds were hit by construction of 7th and 9th Avenues. CDA allotted these grounds as a right to clubs, who constructed, controlled, supervised and managed Diamond, National and Marghazar Cricket Grounds, and gave them alternate grounds.
CDA officials till filing this report were not handing over possession of National Ground and was resisting to the orders of the court by taking lame excuses and there is a possibility of moving contempt application by the petitioner against Sheikh Ansar Aziz and other officials if they do not hand over possession of the ground to the petitioner.
“The court orders are crystal clear and CDA has to hand over possession of the ground to Shabbir Ahmed,” said Barrister Masroor Shah, who argued that CDA and MCI actions were illegal and unlawful.
Now, double office-holder Sheikh Ansar on whose appointment as CDA chairman, the Senate standing committee had also raised questions, tried to get hold of these grounds by force without paying any heed to apathy being faced by the huge number of cricketers. "Mayor MCI and CDA Chairman wanted to give these grounds to his friends for minting money rather than serving the cause of cricket promotion," alleged President Islamabad Cricket Association Nasir Iqbal, who has been in the final stage to file a case against Mayor MCI and CDA Chairman for grossly violating public rights as enshrined in the constitution., he added: "
In the latest development, Mayor MCI has destroyed working dressing rooms, wash rooms, pitches and other cricket facilities at Junoon, Margalla and other grounds where hundreds of youth play cricket on daily basis. "Mayor Ansar Aziz is working as an anti-public monster in an effort to destroy cricket infrastructure in the federal capital besides doling favour to his pets," alleged the ICA official.
“Sheikh Ansar has been trying to damage cricket infrastructure and elected cricket administration system which came into being in line of the constitution which Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has given to the nation as a patron of Pakistan Cricket Board. If an association does not have ground, how can it be functional. Mayor is working against the scheme of thinking of the Prime Minister, who himself played first class cricket and regarded as an ardent cricket lover,” said Secretary ICA Irfan Manzoor.
In the world as well as in Pakistan, the local governments build sports grounds and hand them over to elected associations and clubs as in the case of Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif, who has a plan to constructed 1,000 sports grounds and handing over to elected associations and clubs.
It has been learnt Mayor and CDA Chairman Aziz is also snubbed by the Prime Minister and her daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif for his unlawful and illegal activities being carried out in the federal capital at a time when the government is facing daunting political task ahead.
There is a huge unrest among the cricketers fraternity in Islamabad, which is raising their voices to remove Sheikh Ansar Aziz as Chairman CDA and Mayor MCI.
An official of the MCI, however, when contacted said their action was not meant to destroy the cricket ground rather they wanted to open the facility for the general public without any charges.
He said they are chalking out a plan to maintain and improve playing grounds and public parks in the federal capital. He said that one of the grounds against which the action was taken was raised on the greenbelt area.
