ISLAMABAD: The ministry of housing and works is finding it difficult to get a house vacated in the ministers’ enclave from a former speaker National Assembly. On the other hand, a state minister, who has been allotted the house, is pushing the officials concerned for its occupation.

Former Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza, who is member of the National Assembly, is still occupying the house she was allotted in early 2008. Despite repeated reminders by the housing ministry and the state minister for IT Anusha Rahman Khan, the new legal tenant of the house, she has refused to vacate the property.

“I was allotted the house currently under the use of the former speaker National Assembly in July last year, but am still waiting for its handing over. Every time, I approach the concerned ministry officials, they come up with a tailor-made answer that a request has been moved to the former speaker to vacate it,” Ms Rahman told Dawn.

Over the reported news of submitting a privilege motion to the house against the former speaker for illegally occupying the house, Ms Rahman said: “The option of moving a privilege motion came under discussion with the party colleagues but I haven’t submitted one to the assembly secretariat.”

Ms Rahman said on paper she was the legal occupant of the house and under rules as a sitting minister her privilege was being breached for denying its occupation.

Dr Mirza wasn’t available for her comments. However, a source in the National Assembly Secretariat said the former speaker was unwilling to move out of the house in the ministers’ enclave for which she had even moved a request to the prime minister office through the housing ministry.

Her argument was that as a former speaker and present member of the National Assembly she should be allowed to keep the house in the secured ministers’ enclave.

“The Prime Minister Office has turned down her request. Accepting her request would mean setting a precedent for all the former speakers to stay in the ministers’ enclave even after completion of their term,” said an official of the housing ministry.

The only option left with the ministry is to adopt a legal course and forcefully vacate the house otherwise the ministry had more than once politely requested the former speaker to remove her belongings to the Parliamentary Lodges.

“On the option of forceful eviction, the bosses of the ministry get cold feet, fearing adverse media reaction. Therefore, they are trying to resolve the issue through peaceful means,” the official said when asked why the ministry was taking so long.

When asked, Ms Rahman said she didn’t want to create an issue. However, as long as the house was shown allotted against her name, she would pursue the housing ministry to get it vacated.

On the suggestion why didn’t the housing ministry allow Dr Mirza to keep the house as a special case, Ms Rahman said this was to be decided by the concerned ministry.