ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday ordered demolition of the Navy Sailing Club established at the bank of Rawal Lake within three weeks, being illegal.

The court also ordered to initiate ‘criminal’ and ‘misconduct’ proceedings against the former Naval Chief and others responsible for the construction of the ‘illegal’ sailing club. The IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah announced the short verdict, reserved earlier on Thursday.

The court ruled that Pakistan Navy does not have the authority to undertake a real estate venture and the name of the institution could not be used for such activities. The court held that the Capital Development Authority (CDA) was not empowered to issue a no-objection certificate (NOC) to the Pakistan Navy, as the institution had encroached on the land of National Park.

The court declared that the inauguration of the Navy Sailing Club by the former Naval Chief, Admiral (r) Zafar Mahmood Abbasi was unconstitutional. The court noted that Pakistan’s military has an important status that is mentioned in the constitution.