ISLAMABAD: Stressing that all institutions of the country must remain within their constitutional boundaries, the Supreme Court sought an assurance from the state’s top law officer that the armed forces would not engage in commercial activities.
“The army started running wedding halls and other businesses. Make sure they don’t get involved in the business. Army should focus only on defence, not on business,” observed Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJ) Qazi Faez Isa.
The CJ headed a three-judge bench also comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Mussarat Hilali that on Wednesday resumed hearing of a slew of petitions filed against illegal constructions in Karachi, the country’s most populous city.
“Everyone should stay within their limits. The army should do its job and the courts should do their job,” he said while addressing Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan.
The AGP agreed with the Chief Justice and said that indeed the principle applies that all people must fulfill their assigned tasks. “If you have such instructions, you should give an assurance in this regard,” the CJ added.
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Earlier, a lawyer for the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) told the court that some people had produced forged documents about the ETPB-owned property and sold it to a builder. “Now there’s a five-story building,” he said.
Justice Mazhar questioned the procedure of ETPB in constructing the building on its land.
The CJ said the illegal constructions in Karachi could not have come up without the involvement of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA).
The CEO of SBCA appeared in court and informed the bench that there are a total of 1,400 employees in SBCA, including 600 inspectors and 300 chief inspectors.
The CJ took note of the need to investigate the personal assets of SBCA inspectors and senior officers.
“There is also a need to audit the assets of the sub-registrars in Karachi through the FBR [Federal Board of Revenue],” he added.
The court found that illegal buildings are being constructed in Karachi and residential plots are being converted into commercial areas with the authority’s knowledge.
It said the SBCA looks the other way when a builder constructs an illegal building but steps in and starts demolishing such structures once people buy units in these projects.
She further noted that the bulldozing of illegal buildings in which ordinary people have invested their money affects the rights of these residents. The court ordered that during construction, the SBCA must erect boards detailing the approval of that construction.
“The SBCA cannot use the situation to its advantage. The SBCA should not delay in issuing the construction completion certificate,” he added. The court later adjourned indefinitely.