On Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to immediately de-seal the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) central secretariat. This ruling followed PTI’s commitment to address and comply with building control regulations within a week.
The building in Sector G-8/4 was sealed by the Municipal Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) on July 23 due to alleged violations of the Islamabad Building Standards for Fire Prevention and Life Safety 2010. MCI had issued a notice to the PTI Secretariat a day before the sealing.
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In its petition, PTI argued that the sealing was executed without prior notice, rendering the action unlawful. The court observed that the CDA did not provide evidence of an “emergent situation” that would justify immediate action.
The IHC overturned the MCI’s July 22 order and instructed PTI to implement fire safety measures. These include installing fire extinguishers on every floor, setting up a gas leakage detector in the kitchen, ensuring proper wiring, establishing a water tank and fire pump for firefighting, and installing a manual fire alarm system on the rooftop.
Earlier this year, a portion of the PTI secretariat was demolished as part of an anti-encroachment operation targeting illegal constructions in the city.
