The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday gave directive to raze the “illegal” Navy Sailing Club established at the bank of Rawal Lake within three weeks, while order to take action against a former naval chief.
In a short judgment issued today, the IHC CJ Athar Minallah announced the verdict, which was reserved on Thursday. He went on to add that Pakistan’s military has an important status that is mentioned in the constitution.
The IHC said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was not empowered to issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the Pakistan Navy, as the institution had encroached on National Park’s land.
The top judge ruled that the navy does not have the authority to undertake a real estate venture and the name of the institution could not be used for such activities.
“The sailing club is illegal, and therefore, it should be demolished in three weeks,” the IHC judge said.
The court ordered to initiate “criminal” and “misconduct” proceedings against the former navy chief and others responsible for the construction of the “illegal” sailing club as the inauguration of the club by the former naval chief, Admiral (retd) Zafar Mahmood Abbasi has been declared unconstitutional by the court.
