PM Imran's Bani Gala residence will be first to be regularised: CJP

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Tuesday said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Bani Gala residence will be the first to be regularised.

The chief justice’s remarks came as he headed a bench of the Supreme Court hearing a case regarding encroachments and environmental degradation in Bani Gala.

The bench directed that a committee with special powers be formed under the chairmanship of the interior secretary to ensure the regularisation of properties in Bani Gala.

The committee will include Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman and secretaries of the ministries of housing, local government and climate change and will submit its report in 10 days.

As the hearing went under way, the additional attorney general informed the bench, “The fourth part in the report pertains to contamination in Rawal Lake and sewerage from 50 union councils and 59 housing societies is dumped there."

To this, the chief justice remarked, “We want to see the performance of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members. They are the ones who filed a petition regarding this issue and now that they are in power, we want to see what they do.”

Justice Nisar then turned to PM Imran’s counsel Babar Awan and asked, “What steps did you people take in the last 50 days?”

Awan responded that “Shaheryar Afridi is looking over the matter these days”.

The chief justice then remarked, “PM Imran’s house will be the first to be regularised and this should not be taken as a political statement.”

Stating that the premier is a petitioner in the case, Justice Nisar said, “PM Imran should be the first to pay penalty.”

“After people know that the prime minister has paid penalty, then they will be asked to regularise their properties,” he added.

Further, the chief justice said, “We will not grant permission for construction of new properties till the regularisation issue is sorted.”

Justice Nisar also stated, “We want the water and environment to be clean as well and will look into the matter regarding contamination in Rawal Lake separately.”

The hearing of the case was then adjourned till October 29.