ISLAMABAD - The lawyers of capital city have started vacating their illegal chambers built on football ground as a deadline given by the apex court in this regard has expired.
Meanwhile, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) after giving final notice soon after Eid-ul-Fitr also launched an operation to remove the encroachments on Sunday night and demolished dozens of chambers. Now, the legal fraternity that was enjoying illegal occupation of football ground for the last many years is left with no option other than vacating these chambers.
Resultantly, a large number of lawyers started shifting their moveable fixtures from the chambers on Monday while immovable things are being sold on spot to different contractors.
The contractors will move the debris once these chambers are either dismantled on their own or demolished by the CDA.
The 16,061 square yards ground was developed to offer sports facilities to the general public. It includes facilities for playing football, squash, basketball and volleyball. The playground is situated next to a commercial area where the administration of the Islamabad Capital Territory had taken private buildings on rent more than four decades ago for establishing the district courts.
In 2017, the then office-bearers of the Islamabad District Bar allotted plots to some lawyers for construction of their chambers in the football ground. No permission or authorisation was obtained from the competent authorities and after that encroaching football ground has become a routine practice for successive lawyers’ representatives.
Not only about 300 chambers were constructed illegally but some of the lawyers also constructed double storey building while bar association also constructed ladies club and gym on football ground.
A local resident in 2018 filed a writ petition in IHC as she was aggrieved by the encroachment on the multipurpose ground by enrolled advocates and occupants of the adjoining commercial buildings. The Islamabad High Court in its much-awaited decision in a petition filed against encroachments on a football ground in F-8 in February 2021 directed the CDA to retrieve the public land from lawyers and restore the playground by March 23.
However, the local bar associations challenged the decision in Supreme Court but it was of no use as the Supreme Court upheld the IHC verdict and ordered to demolish lawyers’ chambers and all illegal building/structures on football ground in Sector F-8 of the capital.
The Islamabad Bar Association requested the court to give some time to vacate the football ground and undertook that in Sector F-8, Islamabad, plot/land of football ground/park on which some lawyers have constructed their chambers will be vacated by them within two months.
The apex court has given a deadline to vacate the land till 2nd May, 2021. The court had also given one week time to the registrar of IHC to remove some court building constructed on football ground.