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.