BHC extends stay on Balochistan Assembly demolition tender

QUETTA: A division bench of the Balochistan High Court (BHC) on Monday extended its stay order against the opening of the tender for the demolition of the Balochistan Assembly building and separately ordered the removal of the chairman of the Balochistan Development Authority (BDA).

The bench, comprising Chief Justice Muhammad Kamran Khan Mulakhel and Justice Muhammad Najmuddin Mengal, was hearing a constitutional petition filed by Advocate Amanullah Kanrani and Haji Lashkari Raisani against the proposed demolition of the Balochistan Assembly building.

According to the petition, the assembly building was constructed in 1985. During the hearing, Advocate General Adnan Basharat and Additional Advocate General Shahak Baloch appeared on behalf of the government and sought time to submit replies from the Speaker of the Balochistan Assembly and the Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister.

The court extended its earlier stay order dated May 4 and adjourned the matter for an indefinite period. It also directed that all proceedings linked to the demolition tender of the assembly building would remain suspended.

Petition against demolition move

The constitutional petition challenged the proposed demolition of the Balochistan Assembly building. With the latest order, the stay already granted by the court has been continued, preventing further movement in the tender process for now.

The government’s law officers requested additional time to place replies before the court from the relevant authorities, including the assembly speaker and the chief minister’s principal secretary.

BDA chairman ordered to vacate office

In a separate matter, the same bench heard a petition against the BDA chairman and ordered the removal of Javed Ahmed Khan from the post of the authority’s chief.

The court directed him to vacate the office within 24 hours and return all official privileges. It also instructed the provincial government to appoint a new chairman in accordance with the law.

While issuing the order, the bench observed that the existing appointment was illegal. The court also remarked that such appointments were not commendable and noted that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) inquiries were pending against the removed chairman.

The hearing on the assembly building matter now stands adjourned for an indefinite period, while the suspension of proceedings related to the demolition tender remains in place under the court’s latest order.