Islamabad: The Supreme Court has barred Pakistan Railways (PR) from selling/leasing the land under its use, while hearing a case related to the PR’s deficit – a news source reported. Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad appeared before a two-member bench headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar to hear the verdict.
The court specifically instructed PR to refrain from leasing the land that it used for conducting railway operations. However, the court made allowances for a five-year lease settlement period for the land not in railways use. The court directed that its interim order, issued against the Royal Palm Club, will remain in force.
The ban has been placed on the request of Sind government, which feared that a housing society was being built on this land. The provincial government requested the apex court to disallow a lease settlement. The bench, in response, instructed the advocate general to submit a plea under Article 184 (iii) of the Constitution – for a formal redressal of the government’s apprehensions.
