Commercial activities in University Town

Committee formed to prepare recommendations, PHC told

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) was told on Wednesday that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has formed a special committee to prepare recommendations to resolve the issue of commercial activities in the University Town.

“The provincial government is going to give a complete plan and resolve the issue of commercial activities in University Town,” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Advocate General (AG) Abdul Lateef Yousafzai informed a division bench comprising Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Muhammad Ibrahim Khan.

The AG told this during hearing of the contempt of court petition against the Town-III administration and provincial government for non-compliance with the high court decision to stop commercial activities in the University Town.

He said the KP chief minister had called a meeting of the committee. He said the government would prepare recommendations in the present scenario as to how the PHC decision would be implemented and to resolve the issue of commercial activities in University Town. He said the provincial government would then table the recommendations before the court to accept or reject it.

However, the court once again gave strict directives to the Town-III administration and the provincial government to implement the court decision and take legal action against the violators. The court also asked the provincial government to prepare complete plan within one month and submit it before January 18, 2017.

The court also stopped construction of another commercial plaza in University Town and directed Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) to explain why the officials concerned gave permission for the commercial plaza even after the high court decisions.

Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth questioned that after the court decision, the provincial government under the law could prepare such a plan and legislate. The AG replied that the provincial government would prepare it and after that, it would be tabled before the court to approve it or not.

Qazi Jawad Ihsanullah, counsel for the petitioners, submitted that the provincial government was trying to defeat the high court decision through legislation to declare the areas where commercial activities continued in the University Town including foreign offices and NGOs.

Sabahuddin Khattak, legal advisor of the University Town administration, informed the bench that fourth report regarding implementation of the decision is submitted before the court. However, he said that the town administration sealed various educational institutions but they were again de-sealed as students took to the streets and started protests against the government.

Muhammad Khurshed Advocate, former deputy attorney general who is also resident of University Town, also questioned the provincial government plan to prepare recommendations as he stated that under the law the provincial government after the high court decision cannot do legislation to declare residential area as commercial area and change the master plan.