ISLAMABAD: An additional district and sessions judge (ADSJ) in Rawalpindi on Saturday allowed property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain to use Bahria as the brand name for his housing project till April 14, the next date of hearing.

Mohammad Ashraf, the ADSJ, issued the order while hearing an appeal filed by Malik Riaz against the verdict given by Civil Judge Nadiatuz Zuhra Naqvi on March 27, in which she stopped Malik Riaz from using Bahria as the brand name for his housing project.

Read: Malik Riaz loses right to ‘Bahria’ brand name

Judge Naqvi had given the single order while hearing three identical petitions - two filed by Bahria Foundation and the third by Hussain Global, a property firm linked to Malik Riaz.

The three petitions were filed over the Bahria name issue that had been lingering on since 2002. Civil Judge Zuhra Naqvi had also set aside the stay order obtained by Malik Riaz in 2002.

“On the next date of hearing, the Bahria Foundation, a subsidiary of Pakistan Navy, would file its response to the petition filed by Malik Riaz,” a lawyer associated with the case told Dawn.

The Bahria Foundation had pleaded to restrain Malik Riaz from using the word Bahria for his housing scheme and sought damages from the property tycoon.

The third petition filed by Malik Riaz alleged that the naval officials forced him to sign an agreement according to which he was bound to give up the Bahria brand name.

Since 1996, Malik Riaz with the consent of Bahria Foundation was using the naval nomenclature for his housing project.

In 2000, the foundation stopped him from using ‘Bahria’ for his housing society and also signed an agreement with the property tycoon in this regard on February 24 of the same year.

However, in 2002, Malik Riaz filed an application with the local court alleging that he was forced to sign the agreement.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2015

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