MURREE, Sept 17 Municipal workers stopped demolishing a residential complex on Thursday after the Lahore High Court granted its owners a stay, just hours after having rejected their plea that they possessed permission to construct the complex.

Officials said the local administration holds that the complex was being built in violation of building by-laws.

Murree's Town Municipal Administration (TMA) initiated the demolition operation on Wednesday after the LHC dismissed the owners' plea that they had a No Objection Certificate (NOC) which allowed construction of the Country Flats, a set of four multi-storey buildings. One of the blocks is still under construction.

Sources in the administration and local social activists say the property belongs to people linked with the Punjab's ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, as well as its rival faction, the Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid-i-Azam).

Town Officer (Planning) Imran Niazi told Dawn that the building owners got a stay of execution from the LHC on Wednesday as the TMA staff was razing a portion of one of the buildings.

About the TMA action, Town Municipal Officer Nadeem Sarwar said his men had faced resistance on Wednesday but they went ahead with the demolition because at that time they had court orders in their favour.

“The NOC possessed by the owners is not valid as it was issued when there was a ban on construction activity,” Sarwar added.

According to the TMO, even the controversial NOC allowed construction of eight-storey buildings, whereas the owners had built 10-storey structures.

Hafiz Saeed Abbasi, president a local NGO - Rado - that is working on environmental issues, criticised the two political parties for the alleged involvement of their members in the gross violation of building by-laws.

“Such influential people are responsible for damaging the beauty of this scenic resort,” Mr Abbasi said, adding that he was considering taking up the matter in the court.