ISLAMABAD: Top officials of the Islamabad police have been asked to appear before the Supreme Court after the Capital Development Authority (CDA) reported to the court on Wednesday their inability to end their “non-conforming use” of residential houses in the city immediately.

A two-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman, decided to listen to the Inspectors General of Police of Islamabad and Motorway Police why they could not honour the court’s order to the CDA to get vacated all buildings in residential areas used as offices or for commercial activity when the case is taken up again after a fortnight.

The bench had been pursuing for some time the case of government and commercial entities and embassies using residential buildings as offices and blocking road for their security.

But in the case of government offices, the offence reflected also on higher government tiers.

In a letter sent to CDA chairman on January 29, the IG Islamabad had sought “at least a year” for shifting the Central Police Office from House 23 it occupies in Street 31 in Sector F-7/1 to a new building in Sector G-11/4. The house is the property of the Abandoned Properties Organization (APO), Cabinet Division Islamabad and police had hired it from the Islamabad administration on June 12, 1974 to establish the Kohsar Police Station.

After the station shifted to its own building, it was used as Traffic Line and later as CPO.

The IGP’s office is under construction in Sector G-11/4 as part of the judicial and administration complex planned there. The PC-1 of the complex was prepared by CDA, on the direction of the Islamabad Capital Territory administration. It envisions the construction of the IGP office near the offices of district administration, the letter explained.

Since March 2015, a revised project is under process in the Planning Division, and the CDA being the executing agency of the project is well aware of the history of the project.

The letter stressed that Islamabad police had been so constrained with office space that the offices of Zonal Superintendent of Police had to be located outside their areas of responsibility.

It said that keeping in view the directions of the Supreme Court and the pivotal importance of the project, the Interior Ministry (which controls the city affairs) also requested the Ministry of Planning Development and Reforms to include the project in the agenda of next Central Development Working Party for swift approval of the project.

Currently, IGP office block is incomplete and at least 12 or 16 months are required for the completion of the same - that too after approval of the project.

The letter said the IGP office will be shifted from present building to new block upon its completion and formal handing over. It was not feasible to move precious record and office business in the under construction building. Still extraneous efforts are under way to get approved PC-1 and completion of the under construction building as early as possible.

“Therefore it is requested that ICT police may be granted substantial time of at least one year for shifting of CPO from the current office,” said the police letter.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2016