CDA seeks vacation of stay order in Bari Imam House case

ISLAMABAD, Nov 11 (APP): The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has termed the building known as Bari Imam House an encroachment, stating that no such building exists in official records, and has requested the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to vacate its stay order in the case.

The Authority has filed a miscellaneous application along with its reply in the pending case, seeking vacation of the interim relief granted by the court.

According to the CDA, the land in Noorpur Shahaan had already been acquired in the past and compensation had been paid to its owners.

The Authority stated that the land comprising the Bari Imam shrine was separately recorded in official revenue records under different khasra numbers, while the building referred to as Bari Imam House had no connection with the shrine’s premises.

In its reply, the CDA maintained that merely naming a building Bari Imam House or associating it with the shrine did not confer any legal right upon the applicant over the land.

It further stated that, according to the location and revenue records, Bari Imam House and the Bari Imam shrine were two separate sites.

The authority argued that the applicant had no legal authority to occupy or use the land on which Bari Imam House was situated.

The CDA also objected that the court had issued the stay order without first obtaining its response, and challenged the applicant’s legal standing and the maintainability of the petition.

The authority has requested the high court to fix the case for an early hearing during the current week.