Lal Masjid warned by CDA to stop illegal construction on plot alloted for Jamia Hafsa

Published February 27, 2019
Maulana Abdul Aziz of the Lal Masjid. — AFP/File
Maulana Abdul Aziz of the Lal Masjid. — AFP/File

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has issued a warning to the Lal Masjid administration against illegal construction on the sector H-11 plot allotted to it for the rebuilding of Jamia Hafsa, it emerged on Tuesday.

The CDA's Building Control Directorate sent a notification in this regard to the seminary's khateeb, Maulana Abdul Aziz, on February 22.

"It has [come] to the notice of this authority that [the] following violations of the Islamabad Building Regulations, 1963 and Islamabad Residential Sectors Zoning (Building Control) Regulations, 2005 have been committed on your above-mentioned plot," the notification states.

Also read: Police warn Maulana Aziz to stay away from Lal Masjid

It highlights that the violation in question pertains to starting "construction work at [the] site without getting approval from [the] authority".

The deputy director of the directorate's building control section (BCS) has directed Aziz, identified as the "owner/occupant" in the notification, to "stop construction work within 24 hours from the date of issuance of this notice and apply for approval along with relevant documents, i.e. architectural and structural drawings".

No action has been taken by the seminary in response to the notice so far, according to DawnNewsTV.

Rebuilding of Jamia Hafsa

The Jamia Hafsa building and the library were demolished by the government following the military operation in 2007 against Lal Masjid.

Examine: Report cites Lal Masjid, Jamia Hafsa ‘waging war’ against state

After the operation, the government and the mosque administration, led by Maulana Aziz, reached an agreement under which the CDA would provide an alternative site for the reconstruction of Jamia Hafsa.

The CDA allotted 20 kanals of land for this in H-11, where the Lal Masjid administration is said by the CDA to have begun construction work without getting plans approved in advance.

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