ISLAMABAD: The Directorate of Building Control (City) of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Friday issued a warning notice to remove within 15 days a guards’ room and “unauthorised and illegal” construction at the residence of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in the federal capital’s posh G-6 sector.

The notice affixed outside the residence of the JUI-F chief — addressed to the legal owner of the property and dated Oct 30 (Friday) — highlighted three violations under the Islamabad Capital Territory Building Control Regulations 2020 (amended 2023).

It pointed out illegal and unauthorised construction in building setbacks (open spaces), a guard post built on CDA land, and a generator on CDA land.

The notice added that according to records, the owner submitted an affidavit on March 18, 2019, at the time of issuance of a no-objection certificate (NOC), in which he stated that setback violations would be removed within three months and all regulations would be abided by.

“However, it has been noticed that no compliance is made,” the CDA notice said. The authority directed that the mentioned violations be removed within 15 days, starting Friday.

The city manager warned that if the occupants failed to fulfil the legal requirements and remove the violations, the CDA would take action as per the relevant clauses of the CDA Ordinance and Islamabad Capital Territory Building Control Regulations 2020 (amended 2023), which it warned could lead to the sealing or demolishing of violations as well as the initiation of a case for cancellation of the allotment.

Meanwhile, after the notice was issued, Maulana Asjad Mahmood, the son of the JUI-F chief, claimed it was retaliation for pointing out alleged encroachments by a senior military official.

In a statement, Mahmood said that instead of responding to the alleged encroachments, the authorities resorted to what he described as underhanded tactics.

He expressed concern over the “transformation of political differences into personal revenge”. He said such actions were a matter of serious concern and urged the nation and JUI-F workers to remain informed and vigilant about the evolving situation.

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Friday approved a resolution reaffirming that workplace harassment was not limited to conduct of a sexual nature but may also include intimidation, humiliation and gender-based discrimination.

The resolution was presented by MNA Dr Shahida Rehmani, who is also the secretary of the Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (WPC).

The resolution reaffirmed Parliament’s commitment to protecting the dignity, equality and rights of every individual against all forms of workplace harassment and gender-based discrimination, in accordance with Articles 14 (inviolability of dignity of man, etc.) and 25 (equality of citizens) of the Constitution.

It underscored that workplace harassment was not limited to conduct of a sexual nature, but “may also manifest through gender-based discrimination, intimidation, humiliation, degrading treatment, hostile behaviour and misuse of authority, whether sexual or non-sexual in nature”.

The resolution reaffirmed the legislative intent and protections enshrined in the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010, as amended in 2022, which expressly recognises discrimination based on gender, both sexual and non-sexual, to fall within the statutory framework of harassment.

It further emphasised that the absence of a sexual advance or demand does not diminish the seriousness of gender-based harassment or discrimination.

The resolution said that the dignity of individuals “cannot be subjected to narrow distinctions between different forms of harassment” and all conduct falling within the scope of the law “must be addressed with equal seriousness, fairness and accountability”.

Through the resolution, the NA was called on to urge the federal government and all concerned institutions to ensure the effective implementation of existing legislation in its full scope, ensuring that no individual would be deprived of statutory protection merely because the harassment or gender-based discrimination reported was non-sexual in nature.

The resolution concluded by reaffirming that a workplace free from harassment, humiliation and gender-based discrimination was “not a privilege, but a fundamental requirement of human dignity, equality and justice”.

Although the resolution did not refer to any specific incident, lawyers and journalists have recently raised concerns about a ruling by the Federal Constitu­tio­nal Court (FCC), in which it set aside an Islamabad High Court judgement in a workplace harassment case filed by a National Bank of Pakistan employee in 2012.

Authored by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, the FCC order reproduced the definition of harassment stated in the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010.

The 2010 Act describes harassment as “any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favours or other verbal or written communication or physical conduct of a sexual nature or sexually demeaning attitudes, causing interference with work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, or the attempt to punish the complainant for refusal to comply to such a request or is made a condition for employment”.

Interpreting that definition, the FCC ruling said that an “act, conduct or attitude has to be sexual in nature, if it is to be covered under the definition of harassment for the purpose” of the 2010 Act.

ISLAMABAD: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam—Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Wednesday accused the government of misusing the Constitution and resorting to unconstitutional measures in imposing governor’s rule and an emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Centre imposed governor’s rule and emergency in KP on Oct 11, citing the provincial government’s “deliberate disengagement” from the fight against terrorism. The move had drawn criticism from the opposition, as well as Fazl, who had made efforts to reduce tensions between the federal and the KP governments.

Speaking on the floor of the National Assembly on Wednesday, Fazl noted the Centre’s stance was that it took the measures according to the Constitution.

He alleged, “The government has misused the Constitution […] Here, just as the law is misused, the Constitution was misused.”

The senior politician asserted that by imposing governor’s rule in KP, transfer of power took place “by force”, rather than by public opinion.

“I may have my reservations about the [KP] government, but this is not the way to enact change, by bringing about a revolution and upending everything. You must go to the people for that.”

He also blamed Defence Minister Khawaja Asif for failing to protect the sanctity of the Constitution and the Parliament.

Responding to the JUI-F chief’s accusations, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary said that governor’s rule in KP was only in place for six months, and the emergency was imposed in only a few districts affected by terrorism.

“You have to be on one side, either remain with the state of Pakistan or be supportive of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and Afghanistan,” the minister said.

He noted that the situation in Balochistan was different to that of KP, where he said the chief minister, PTI’s Sohail Afridi, was using provincial resources to march on Islamabad. Chaudhry alleged that Afridi “even defended the terrorists”.

Fazl calls for ‘Charter of Democracy’

While criticising the government in his speech, Fazl called for establishing a new Charter of Democracy to save the country from “unconstitutional” actions and potential violence.

“This Parliament is a representative institution of the people, but the capacity for tolerance has ended and matters are deteriorating,” the veteran politician contended.

Fazl said the simultaneous imposition of governor’s rule and an emergency in KP might be the first instance in history that such provisions were applied but only in certain areas of the province.

“Governor’s rule [is in force] in half of the province, emergency in the other half,” he said, apparently referring to the special emergency measures in 12 districts that are overseen by a council.

Fazl also recalled his efforts to defuse political tensions during the PTI’s long march towards Islamabad and said that the party’s leaders had asked him to play a role in resolving the matter.

He said that after subsequent discussions with senior PML-N and PTI leadership, he held a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who asked for the PTI’s long march to be called off.

“The following day, [Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister] Ishaq Dar called me and said that the cabinet was not agreeing to the proposal and that governor’s rule must be imposed in KP,” Fazl recalled.

Narrating the events of Oct 11, Fazl said he received a phone call at around 9:30am wherein he was told that his efforts were being discussed in the cabinet meeting, which later decided to impose emergency and governor’s rule in KP.

“At 10:30am, I received a phone call from Ishaq Dar saying that the cabinet is not agreeing to this. And they are saying that governor’s rule must be imposed there at all costs,” the JUI-F leader said.

“So I said that all the effort made since yesterday was being negated. I was hoping that you brought about a consensus, but the government negated it.”

Maintaining that all of his efforts had been aimed at “preventing bloodshed”, Fazl questioned the government’s ability to maintain law and order, particularly in Balochistan, asking whether the situation there was worse than in KP with the reported kidnapping of commissioners.

“How can the federal government claim that it has succeeded in maintaining law and order?” he asked.

Fazl responds to those ‘doubting his patriotism’

Fazl also said those who doubted his patriotism should know that his party had made significant sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and regretted that its martyrs and contributions were being ridiculed.

Days after the Centre imposed emergency in KP, the JUI-F chief accused it of depriving the provinces of their rights and raised doubts over its reasoning that there was a lack of cooperation by the KP government on counterterrorism.

The next day, following rebuke from several federal ministers, Fazl stressed that his party’s criticism of the government was directed at policies, not institutions, and was intended to bring about corrective action rather than undermine the sacrifices made in the fight against terrorism.

“My party is a party of martyrs. You do not see our martyrs, and our sacrifices are being mocked,” Fazl told the House.

The JUI-F chief said Pakistan belonged to all its citizens and not to any one person, while questioning the government over the debate on mineral resources.

He added that his party was mobilising its political strength to resist what he described as “government encroachments”, insisting that the JUI-F had not violated any limits.

“If the government is prepared for a confrontation, we are also ready to confront it,” he said, reminding the government of times when he stood at the forefront to support efforts to protect the country from political turmoil.

Urging the government to refrain from pursuing a policy of force, he warned, “We are prepared to die. We are prepared to die at your hands, but we are not prepared to die at the hands of history. If you are prepared for a confrontation, we are sitting here ready for it.”

He went on to say that the state was like a mother, “but this mother is not treating all her children fairly”.

The federal government on Oct 11 imposed an emergency and governor’s rule in KP under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution following the president’s approval of the recommendations by the federal cabinet.

The move drew criticism from the opposition, including Fazl, as well as Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Raja Nasir Abbas of the Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayin-i-Pakistan.

In the days preceding the imposition of governor’s rule in KP, political tensions between the Centre and the opposition — including the PTI which was in power in KP — had remained high since jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party announced a protest march to Islamabad to demand his release.

On Oct 16, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that the “head of a party” was “extremely upset over being denied a role in the new setup in KP and not getting the governorship”, seemingly referring to Fazl.

This politician, Naqvi told journalists in Lahore, had remained “dependent on the establishment for decades to advance his political career”.

The next day, Fazl termed the allegations levelled against him by federal ministers as character assassination.