Colonels and majors are acting like kings: Justice Gulzar
CJP orders Nasla Tower to be demolished within a week
KARACHI - Federal Secretary of Defence Lt Gen (retired) Mian Hilal Hussain Friday told the Supreme Court of Pakistan that it had been decided that in the future cantonment land would not be used for commercial purposes. The construction of housing societies and commercial use of military land would be checked and stopped, the secretary assured the three-judge bench here on Friday.
The bench headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Qazi Mohammad Amin Ahmed and Justice Ijazul Ahsan was hearing the issue of military lands being used for commercial purposes at the Supreme Court’s Karachi Registry. On Thursday, the chief justice had ordered the defence secretary to appear before the court in person to answer questions related to the case.
Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed grilled the defence secretary over commercial use of military land and asked whether structures like cinemas and wedding halls were built for defence purposes.
“This land was given to you for strategic and defence purposes. You (on the other hand) are using it for commercial ventures,” the top judge noted. Are wedding halls, cinemas and housing societies built for defence purposes? The CJP asked. He said that all Askari housing projects had been built on Cantonment lands. “We have decided that this will not happen again,” replied the defence secretary.
At this, Justice Amin asked the secretary how that would be made possible and where and when the process would start. The judge asked him to provide a written explanation. The chief justice commented that colonels and majors were acting like kings. “What the colonels and majors desire, happens,” he said.
“Go and tell all the chiefs (of the Armed Forces) that the land meant for defence purposes will not be used for commercial objectives. Go to all the military cantonments and tell them the land will be used only for strategic purposes,” CJP Ahmed ordered the defence secretary.
He also said that commercial activities were underway at Masroor Base and Faisal Base and tall buildings had been erected when orders were given to remove signboards. The bench asked the secretary whether he had a written report regarding the matter, at which the secretary requested more time to submit the same. The court adjourned the hearing until November 30, saying it would take place in Islamabad and also ordered that a written report be submitted.
On Wednesday, the chief justice while hearing the case stated that the conversion of cantonment land into private land seemed to be in direct contravention of the Cantonment Act, 1924, Cantonment Land Rules, 1937, and various constitutional provisions and the issue needed to be heard and decided by the court.
The bench had expressed resentment over director cantonment and military land, Karachi region, Adil Rafi Siddiqui, over such activities within the jurisdiction of cantonment boards and also sought a report from him about a wall being built on the premises of a park in Defence Housing Authority Phase-I.
Nasla Tower, Tejori Heights
While conducting hearings on other cases, the chief justice asked Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Iqbal Memon till when the demolition of Karachi’s Nasla Tower would be completed. Memon replied that no timeframe could be provided and that 200 labourers were working on the project.
The CJP told him to double the labour force and ordered the tower to be demolished within a week and a report to be submitted.
Updates were also provided to the bench about progress in the demolition of the Tejori Heights tower, with a legal representative saying that 60 to 65 per cent of the building had been demolished. He also told the court that files had been recovered from the building’s offices and work was underway on providing compensation to the affectees.