SC hears F-9 Park verdict case

ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court (SC) heard today contempt of court case against the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Geo News reported Monday.

The Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammed Chaudhry voiced annoyance that no action has been taken against officers including former CDA Chairman Kamran Lashari, allegedly involved in F-9 Park land scam.

The three-member SC bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday, heard the case.

The CDA’s counsel told the court that plea against Kamran Lashari was already lodged with National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on September 17; however, the Bureau has not given a formal reply thus far.

The CJ Chaudhry, voicing annoyance, said, “Were the people involved in the scam given concessions by adding the words of ‘and other people’ along with Kamran Lashari in a letter addressed to the Nab?”

He said the pleas in large number daily pour in against corruption of the CDA and several cases in this regard are being heard at courts.

Additional Attorney General told the court that it was by mistake that the Park’s leased land went 2 acres instead of 1.25 acres in a new advertisement.

On this, Justice Khalilur Rehman Ramday said the court is being scandalized, adding, ‘Do you want to give impression that Lashari gave out a portion of land but the court wanted to give more.’

The court stopped Kamran Lashari’s counsel Hafeez Pirzadah from giving arguments.

It should be mentioned here that contempt of court case against CDA was filed by former PML-N senator Saadia Abbasi, who contended in her petition that the CDA was not implementing in letter and spirit the decisions of the apex court pertaining to the removal of commercial activities such as various restaurants and the Nazaria-e-Pakistan Council from the F9 Park, also known as the Fatima Jinnah Park.

Earlier on June 4, the Supreme Court, in its verdict on Saadia’s petition, had declared the establishment of a restaurant at Fatima Jinnah Park contrary to Article 18 of the constitution.

Regarding allotment of land in the park to NPC, the court had directed the CDA to forthwith cancel it, take over the building and all facilities attached therewith and place the matter before the federal government in the light of the MoU signed between the Education Ministry and the NPC to run affairs of the Aiwan-e-Quaid smoothly and achieve the objectives for which it had been established.