Islamabad High Court Overturns 2022 Ruling on Naval Farms and Sailing Club

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) delivered a significant ruling on Wednesday, reversing a previous decision that deemed the Pakistan Naval Farms and Pakistan Navy Sailing Club illegal. This judgment, originally issued in 2022 by then-Chief Justice Athar Minallah, also ordered the demolition of the sailing club and called for legal action against ex-naval chief Admiral (retd) Zafar Mahmood Abbasi and other officials.

The division bench, featuring Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas and Justice Shahrukh Arjumand, granted intra-court appeals that challenged the earlier ruling. The judges annulled orders for the Auditor General of Pakistan to evaluate financial losses to the state and recover funds from responsible officers, along with the directive to transfer Naval Farms' ownership.

During the proceedings, Sardar Ahmed Jamal Sukhera, representing the Ministry of Defence and the former naval chief, argued that the underlying petition addressed notices issued for alleged building violations at the Naval Farms. He noted that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) had been informed in 2020 about the need to comply with building regulations, suggesting that the original grievances had already been resolved before the 2022 ruling.

Sukhera criticized the earlier judgment for lacking evidence and violating principles of natural justice. He highlighted that the judgment had negatively impacted over 100 club members, none of whom were notified or made parties to the case. The IHC ultimately agreed with Sukhera's assertions, emphasizing that the affected individuals were denied due process.

In light of these findings, the court dismissed the previous ruling, nullifying the illegal status of the Pakistan Naval Farms and the Sailing Club, and ending any demolition orders or legal actions against the former naval officials.

Source: www.dawn.com