IHC tells govt to draft land acquisition policy in public interest

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued a detailed order in a case related to allotment of plots to judges, bureaucrats and government employees, in which it has told the federal government that it hopes it will draft a land acquisition policy before the next hearing that is in the interest of the general public.

A special division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani also issued a notice to the attorney general to extend his cooperation in the matter.

The allotment of plots through a lottery in Islamabad's Sector F-14 and F-15 was suspended until the next hearing. 

The court said that the stay order does not extend to those affectees whose land was acquired. 

Authorities complained to the court that some parties are not cooperating, which is why there may be a delay in payment of compensation.

If the victims do not cooperate, the relevant authorities should file a petition in the court, the order said. It added that the authorities must provide a detailed response to all the petitions in the next hearing.

The order observed that the current policy of allotment was not in the public interest. It noted that plots were also given to judges who were fired for corruption and misconduct. 

It further noted that about 30,000 people are awaiting the allotment of plots and that they had been ignored during allotments in place of land in Sectors F-14 and F-15.