ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) declared the Navy Sailing Club established at the bank of Rawal Lake “illegal” and ordered its demolition within three weeks while announcing the verdict on Friday in a petition filed against the construction of the club in the federal capital.
The directive came with the orders for an action against an ex-naval chief during a hearing presided by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah.
The court ruled that the navy does not have the authority to engage in real estate ventures and that the institution’s name cannot be used for such purposes.
“Pakistan’s military has an important status which is stated in the constitution,” said CJ Minallah while issuing the short judgment.
The IHC said the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was not empowered to issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) to Pakistan Navy, as the institution had encroached on National Park’s land.
“The sailing club is illegal, and therefore, it should be demolished in three weeks,” the IHC judge said.
The inauguration of the club by the former naval chief, Admiral (retd) Zafar Mahmood Abbasi was also declared unconstitutional by the court.
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.
The verdict was reserved in the previous hearing on Thurday.
