ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered demolition of illegally constructed chambers of lawyers on the premises of district courts in the capital in F-8 Markaz.

An IHC larger bench, headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah, ruled: “The encroachments on any state land and any construction thereon in violation of the Ordinance of 1960 and the rules or regulations made there under are illegal, void and liable to be removed forthwith.”

“Since a small fraction of the total number of members of the Islamabad District Bar are beneficiaries of the illegal construction of chambers, therefore, we are confident that as a gesture towards the actual stakeholders i.e. the general public, the members of the Bar will clear the illegal construction and restore the playground for public use,” read a 30-page order issued by the bench.

The court ordered that in case the playground is not restored by or before March 28, then the federal government and the Capital Development Authority will restore the playground for public use.

The bench directed the government to make “arrangements for holding a football tournament amongst students of public schools on the Pakistan Day i.e. 23rd of March 2021, to give tribute to the greatest lawyer of the sub continent and founder of the nation Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.”

The court directed the Islamabad District Bar to submit its proposed plan to the Capital Development Authority for consideration and approval in relation to lawyers’ plot.

Moreover, the IHC bench directed the government to commence and complete the construction of the state of the art complex of district courts without unnecessary delay.