By Khawaja Hamza
ISLAMABAD, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday said that the government will make efforts to convert the Constitution One building into a five-star hotel within the next few months, address the shortage of hotels in Islamabad and ensure that all outstanding payments are made in line with the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report approved by the federal cabinet.
The minister said the objective was also to address illegal occupation of land across Islamabad, regardless of the nature or location of encroachments. He said the extent of encroachment on the city’s land was beyond what people could imagine.
Referring to residential properties, he said the CDA Chairman had recently informed him about houses in F-6, F-7 and F-8 where owners had extended their lawns beyond their property boundaries. He urged all such property owners to bring their extensions within the approved limits, whether they were in F-6, F-10 or any other sector of Islamabad.
Regarding the building, the minister said it was originally constructed for use as a hotel. He said Islamabad was facing a shortage of hotels and the government would try to reach an agreement with a major hotel chain to convert the building into a five-star hotel as soon as possible.
He credited the CDA team for pursuing the case, particularly CDA lawyer Kashif. However, he acknowledged that mistakes by CDA officials had led to the situation and said the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) would provide further details about those responsible.
The minister said the government would pay the concerned people the amounts due to them according to the JIT report. Since the federal cabinet had approved the report, its recommendations were binding, and the payments would be made accordingly.
He also thanked the Prime Minister for supporting the process. Recalling the day when the authorities attempted to take possession of the building, he said the situation had been made difficult and he was disappointed the following day because the episode had been presented as if the government had committed a crime.
He said the Prime Minister had assured him and other officials that the matter would be decided on merit. He added that the Prime Minister supported the process and directed that there should be no double standards between the rich and the poor. Everyone, he said, should be treated equally under the same rules.
The minister said the JIT report had also confirmed the dissolution of the committee formed by the concerned individuals. Following the federal cabinet’s directions, the CDA Member Administration would take immediate charge of all matters relating to the building from that day.
He said the government’s objective was to make the building operational as soon as possible and provide Islamabad with a new five-star hotel.
