Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf files petition in court against Capital Development Authority's action at party's secretariat

Islamabad [Pakistan], May 26 : Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the Capital Development Authority's (CDA) action at the party's central secretariat in Islamabad, Pakistan-based ARY News reported.

According to details, PTI leaders Omar Ayub, Shoaib Shaheen, and Amer Baloch have filed the petition in court and requested the court to declare the CDA's demolition order illegal, ARY News reported. Secretary Interior, Chief Commissioner, Chairman CDA, IG, and others have been named respondents in the petition.

Imran Khan-founded party has criticised the demolition of a portion of PTI's central secretariat. PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan slammed the authorities for 'violating' the sanctity of his party's central secretariat in Islamabad.

Gohar Ali Khan said, "In a democracy, the central office of a party is sanctified," and called the bulldozing of central office a "cowardly act." He claimed that PTI's Central Secretariat was demolished without any 'reasons or prior notice', according to ARY News report.

PTI has filed the petition after the Capital Development Authority (CDA) demolished and sealed PTI's Central Secretariat in Islamabad's sector G8/4. According to CDA's official statement, a large-scale encroachment was developed by occupying land near the plot.

In a statement, the CDA said its anti-encroachment team launched an operation on Thursday to remove illegal construction and encroachment. The operation started around 11.30 pm (local time) and ended in an hour.

The CDA said encroachment by a 'political party' was being removed, adding that the plot was allotted in the name of a person identified as Sartaj Ali, Geo News reported. The CDA said an additional floor was built on the plot in violation of the building rules, according to Geo News report.

The government body said it had issued notices to PTI but to no avail. As the operation was being conducted, the party founded by former PM Imran Khan urged its workers to immediately arrive at the secretariat.

While the CDA said that it had issued several notices to PTI, the party chairman, Barrister Gohar Khan, said they had not received any orders from the CDA. Khan said that CDA officials were asked to provide documents about the operation, however, they were unable to produce them.

He stated, "If there had been any encroachments and they had informed us about them earlier, we would have removed them ourselves."

Speaking to reporters outside the office, PTI secretary-general Omar Ayub took a swipe at the CDA, stressing that the party would raise the issue of the CDA in the assembly, according to Geo News report.

Ayub said, "The PTI condemns the CDA action in the strongest terms." He stressed that the city administration began the operation at night without prior notice. He also added that police authorities arrested PTI leader Amir Mughal, Geo News reported.

After the completion of the operation, the CDA officials sealed the PTI's central office and pasted the order on it. During the operation, PTI activists resisted CDA's attempts to demolish the office, resulting in some party workers being arrested by Islamabad's authorities.

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