Luxury flat case once owned by Imran Khan returns to court

The controversy surrounding the luxury apartment complex, One Constitution Avenue, has returned to the Islamabad High Court, with buyers facing the potential loss of their properties. The dispute centers on a 2005 lease agreement between the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and BNP (Private) Limited for a project that evolved into a high-end residential and commercial complex.

The lease was terminated in 2016, later restored by the Supreme Court under strict conditions, including a substantial payment, but was subsequently canceled again due to alleged defaults by BNP. A single bench of the IHC had previously ruled that third-party buyers were subject to the original lessee's fate, leading to panic among residents.

Among those affected is Shahid Naseer, who purchased the flat formerly owned by ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan. Naseer signed a serviced apartment booking agreement in July 2022 for a two-bedroom unit on the 11th floor, agreeing to a price of Rs93.575 million. He has paid Rs45.5 million, nearly 48% of the total, according to documents.

A division bench of the IHC has now directed the CDA not to take any coercive action against the occupants of One Constitution Avenue until the next hearing. This order provides a temporary reprieve for residents, including Naseer, whose apartment was expected to be ready for possession by August 31, 2022, a deadline that has long passed. Court records indicate that 240 flats in the project were allotted to prominent figures, including a former acting president.