Islamabad High Court orders desealing of KP House in federal capital

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday ordered the de-sealing of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) House in Islamabad, which had been sealed by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) over alleged violations of building rules.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, Chief Justice Aamir Farooq heard the case and criticised the CDA's action, stating that sealing a provincial house is an embarrassing move.

The IHC Chief Justice questioned why the CDA had not issued a prior notice before taking such a step.

The CDA's legal counsel informed the court that the lease for KP House had expired in 2014, but the court expressed dissatisfaction with the process of sealing the property.

Chief Justice Aamir Farooq remarked that the CDA should have issued a notice before sealing the house and ordered the immediate de-sealing of the premises.

The KP government had filed a petition yesterday, seeking the court's intervention to reverse the CDA's action.

The petition claimed that the property was sealed illegally and requested that the court order the CDA to unseal the house until a final verdict is reached.

The petition also challenged the impounding of vehicles at the premises as illegal.

The sealing came after the CDA's notice about illegal construction at the property, and it followed a police raid aimed at arresting KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, who had led a protest caravan to Islamabad.

The KP House administration, however, had not complied with the CDA's earlier notices regarding the renewal of the lease or the demolition of unauthorised structures.

Reporter: Ehtesham Kiyani