ISLAMABAD: On Tuesday, the Supreme Court postponed its decision on several petitions requesting a review of its June 11, 2024, ruling, which ruled that all leases and allotments inside Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) violated the 1979 Islamabad Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation, and Management) Ordinance.
A group of petitions filed by the Monal Group of Companies, the Capital View Point Restaurant (La Montana), Sunshine Heights (Pvt) Ltd, and Brig. retired Falak Naz Bangash of the defense ministry were heard by a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and composed of Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Naeem Akhtar Afghan.
In its ruling on March 21, the Supreme Court mandated that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) submit a list of leases within the Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP). The Supreme Court office subsequently sent letters to the applicants on April 22, 2024. On June 11, the court declared that all of these allotments violated the 1979 Islamabad Wildlife (Protection, Preservation, Conservation and Management) Ordinance.
Margalla Hills National Park (MHNP) is home to three restaurants: Gloria Jeans, La Montana, and Monal. On August 21, 2024, the Supreme Court issued a comprehensive decision directing the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) to assume custody of these establishments. The Islamabad Capital Territory Police and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) also requested assistance from the wildlife board in the order.
The court decision states that the area’s entrances will be sealed before the infrastructure is removed with the least disturbance to the local fauna and without causing damage to the national park’s trees. Additionally, the ruling stated that the debris would be appropriately removed and disposed of outside of the national park boundaries. Many review applications were then filed in opposition to the Supreme Court’s order.
