City Reporter
The Islamabad High Court has banned all kinds of construction activity on the scenic Margalla Hills.
“The Islamabad Wildlife Management Board and Capital Development Authority will be responsible for the violation of the orders,” the court ruled Friday while hearing a petition against the illegal construction of commercial buildings on hills.
Justice Athar Minallah inquired how CDA made agreements with private companies and allowed them to pay rent to the Farms Directorate. “How can land, owned by the government, be claimed by it? It’s unconstitutional.”
The CDA lawyer replied that the directorate didn’t just claim the land where hotels were built, but also 8,400 acres of the Margalla Hills.
The revelation alarmed the court. Consequently, Justice Minallah summoned the Attorney General seeking his assistance in the matter. Notices were issued to the Farms Directorate and CDA as well.
Consequently, the hearing was adjourned till November 9.Earlier this year in September, the court instructed all government entities, including the Pakistan Airforce and Pakistan Navy, to remove all encroachments in the Margalla Hills National Park.
It observed that the protected area was encroached by the “elite”.
Margalla Hills National Park is a property of public land and any commercial activity is banned on its land.
In October, Prime Minister Imran Khan instructed the Islamabad wildlife department to declare a special zone in the Margalla Hills a leopard preservation area.
The development came after a massive increase in the population of leopards in the area was reported.
A special zone for the animals will provide a healthy ecosystem to the predators and other animals living in the area.
