Armed forces’ chiefs agree to stop commercial activities on military lands: SC told
November 26, 2021 06:17 PM
The Supreme Court (SC) was told on Friday that the chiefs of the country’s all three armed forces had reached an agreement that there would be no more commercial activity on military lands in future, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Hearing a case related to military lands at SC’s Karachi Registry, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed said that the lands were allotted to the armed forces for defence purposes and using them for residential or commercial projects was prima facie illegal and also against the constitution.
The CJP, on the occasion, remarked that what could be the use of military lands for defence purposes when housing societies were being built on them.
When the defence secretary informed the judges that the armed forces had decided to stop commercial activities on military and cantonment lands, they asked how the armed forces planned to “undo what has already been done.”
CJP Gulzar said be it Masroor Base or Faisal Cantonment, commercial activities were in full swing everywhere on military lands. He said there were billboards everywhere in the country’s cantonments, which was a clear sign that commercial activities were in progress there.
The chief justice, on the occasion, remarked that the policy to end commercial activities was a welcome step. The defence secretary assured the SC that steps would be taken to end the commercial activities and a comprehensive report would be submitted to the court.
CJP Gulzar ordered him that a report to be submitted by him must bear the signatures of the chiefs of all three armed forces of the country.