The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday ordered the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to de-seal the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) central secretariat immediately, following the party’s commitment to comply with building control regulations within a week.
This decision came a week after the Municipal Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) sealed the building in Sector G-8/4 of the federal capital on July 23, citing violations of the Islamabad Building Standards for Fire Prevention and Life Safety 2010. The MCI had issued a notice to the PTI Secretariat a day before sealing the premises.
In its petition challenging the sealing of its office, PTI argued that the action was taken without prior notice and was therefore without lawful authority. The court noted that the CDA failed to present any evidence of an “emergent situation” necessitating an immediate inspection of the building.
Earlier today (Tuesday), the IHC nullified the MCI’s July 22 order to seal the PTI office after the party agreed to comply with building regulations. The court also instructed the party to implement fire safety measures at the premises, including installing fire extinguishers on every floor, setting up a gas leakage detector in the kitchen, properly wiring the building, and establishing a dedicated water tank and fire pump set for firefighting purposes, along with a manual fire alarm system on the rooftop.
It should be noted that the federal capital’s administration previously demolished a portion of the PTI secretariat in May this year for “violation of building rules,” as part of an anti-encroachment operation targeting illegal construction and encroachments in the city.
