By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has given 15 days for alleged encroachments to be removed from the Islamabad home of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief, in a move his party calls political retaliation.
The notice, pasted at the residence on Friday, warns that the building could be sealed or the unauthorised structures demolished if the violations are not cleared by the deadline, which falls in mid-November.
It lands in the middle of a bitter public dispute between the government and Fazl over the imposition of governor’s rule in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), which has drawn criticism of the JUI-F chief from several federal ministers in recent weeks.
The notice directs the removal of security guards’ cabins and a generator installed on CDA land. It also describes an additional kitchen built within the premises as a violation of building regulations. The notice was issued by the CDA’s deputy director of building control and refers to unauthorised construction in the property’s setback areas.
It is addressed to Amanullah, son of Muhammad Younis, whom the authority names as the owner of the building. The notice records that the CDA had previously directed the removal of encroachments from the residence on March 18, 2019, during the PTI government’s tenure.
Rehman’s son and JUI-F leader Maulana Asjad Mahmood described the action as retaliatory and linked it to his father’s political differences with the government.
In a statement, Mahmood said the measures began after encroachments were pointed out to the Peshawar corps commander. “When no response was received to the issue being raised, opponents resorted to cheap tactics,” he said.
He also referred to objections over the removal of a security guard’s cabin, the relocation of the generator and the construction of an additional kitchen.
Mahmood alleged that state institutions were being used to satisfy one individual’s desire for personal revenge. “Turning political differences into personal vendettas is a matter of concern,” he said, urging the public and party workers to stay informed and vigilant.
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry rejected the suggestion, describing the action as routine and saying the campaign against illegal construction in the capital had been running for more than a year.
“Action against encroachments and illegal constructions in Islamabad has not started now, a few weeks ago or even a few months ago,” he told a private television channel. “It has been under way for more than a year, and the posh sectors of Islamabad were the first to be targeted.”
Chaudhry regretted that the matter was being used for political gain. He said notices had been issued to all owners whose properties had security cabins, generators or illegal construction on green areas, and that the government had also removed unauthorised security deployments from public spaces, including green belts.
He cited the demolition, on security grounds, of a wall belonging to a five-storey building on government land as another example, and said action was being taken without discrimination, whatever the individual or organisation involved.
The notice for Rehman’s residence had been issued in Amanullah’s name, Chaudhry said, adding that he did not know why the JUI-F chief was living there or what arrangement existed between the two men.
“Defending illegal constructions is unbecoming of any political or religious leader,” he said, adding that the operation would continue until all illegal structures were removed.
Weeks of sparring
The dispute over the notice follows a sharp deterioration in relations between Fazl and the government over K-P. The federal cabinet approved a state of emergency and governor’s rule in the province under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution on October 11, and President Asif Ali Zardari’s approval followed.
Rehman had been asked by both the PTI and the government to mediate between them. He accused the government of backtracking on the negotiations, saying the PTI had accepted the proposed terms while opposing governor’s rule. He also rejected the government’s justification for the move and questioned what repeated military operations against terrorism had achieved.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi responded without naming him, suggesting the leader of a religious-political party was unhappy at not being offered a role in the new provincial arrangement. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also criticised Rehman stance, alleging that he was supporting people accused of backing terrorism.
Federal ministers returned to the attack on October 18, accusing Rehman of politicising the security situation and opposing measures they said were meant to combat terrorism. The JUI-F chief described the remarks as character assassination, said his criticism was aimed at government policy and not state institutions, and called for an in-camera session of parliament to examine the country’s counterterrorism strategy.
On Wednesday, Rehman told the National Assembly that defence agreements were being negotiated in Iran while the defence minister sat in Pakistan, a reference to talks in Tehran on Monday attended by Field Marshal Asim Munir, the Saudi defence minister and Turkey’s intelligence chief. He also called on the government and opposition to draw up a new Charter of Democracy.
Naqvi and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif hit back the next day, saying no defence agreement was being negotiated in Tehran. Asif said Pakistan would defend Saudi Arabia with “full force”. The Makkah Joint Defence Agreement was signed by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye on August 7.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
