Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has intervened in the ongoing One Constitution Avenue dispute, officially barring the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad administration from taking further action. This decision comes amidst a tense standoff at the 22-storey structure following the cancellation of its lease.
The Prime Minister has established a high-level committee, chaired by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, to conduct a thorough review of the case. The committee includes:
Talal Chaudhry, Minister of State for Interior.
The Cabinet Secretary.
The Commerce Secretary.
The group is mandated to examine every dimension of the conflict and submit a comprehensive report to the Prime Minister within one week. During this window, all stakeholders and affected residents are invited to present their concerns without discrimination.
The intervention follows a move by the CDA and local police to take custody of the building, setting a departure deadline for occupants after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) upheld the lease cancellation. The court was informed that the developer had defaulted on payments for over two decades. Additionally, the CDA alleges the project was illegally converted from a five-star hotel into residential apartments, depriving the city of a major hospitality asset.
This long-standing controversy dates back to a 2019 Supreme Court ruling that previously allowed for the conditional regularisation of the towers. Until the new committee delivers its findings and the Prime Minister reaches a final decision, all enforcement actions, including the disconnection of utilities, remain suspended.
