ISLAMABAD – The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Monday declared an order of the Supreme Court to demolish the Monal Restaurant located inside the inside the picturesque Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP).
The Supreme Court directed the shutdown of Monal and nearby La Montana restaurant on August 21, 2024. Both establishments were later closed in September as part of efforts to preserve the Margalla Hills National Park’s natural environment and biodiversity.
A three-member FCC bench, headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, issued the verdict on a petition filed by Capital Development Authority (CDA) against the SC ordered to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) to take possession of restaurants — namely Monal, La Montana and Gloria Jeans — situated inside the MHNP.
FCC has accepted the appeals filed by the CDA and Metropolitan City, and also lifted the stay order. The court directed the trial courts to decide the cases as soon as possible.
It stated that the issue of ownership would be decided by the trial courts without being influenced by the court’s observations, while administrative matters would be decided by the relevant regulatory bodies.
Justice Hassan Rizvi remarked that many points were not taken into consideration in the Supreme Court’s decision. He said that the court had also expressed displeasure over the filing of the case or a review petition. He added that the judgment contained things that were not mentioned in the case’s narrative, saying, “We do not have to make an emotional decision.”
Barrister Ahsan Bhoon said that the court had studied the case very well. In response, Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi said, “Do not praise us in court; we will issue the order based on the proceedings that took place. We will not write the story of Alif Laila in the judgment.”
Justice Hassan Rizvi further stated that after reading the judgment, it appeared that many things had been written that were beyond the scope of the court proceedings.
