Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a high-level Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to thoroughly investigate the contentious One Constitution Avenue case. This decision follows the recommendations of a special committee formed on May 1, led by Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, which submitted its findings to the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday.
The One Constitution Avenue property, situated within Islamabad’s highly secured Red Zone, has become the focal point of a complex dispute involving prominent figures, judicial interventions, and administrative actions. The situation escalated in late April when the Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Islamabad district administration conducted an overnight evacuation operation.
This operation was a consequence of an Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruling that upheld the cancellation of the building’s lease, revoked due to a massive multi-billion-rupee default by the developer, BNP (Private) Limited. In response, on May 1, the prime minister formed the committee under the law minister’s leadership to hear all concerned parties and compile a comprehensive report. Concurrently, he ordered a suspension of further evictions by the CDA.
Meanwhile, on May 25, the IHC granted temporary relief to the residents by restraining authorities from carrying out additional evacuations. Notably, on June 10, several high-profile individuals sought to join the ongoing litigation, claiming to be lawful buyers affected by the lease cancellation. Among them were Zainab Ahsan, daughter of veteran lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, and Shahid Naseer, a sub-leaseholder of an apartment in Tower C originally associated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder and former prime minister Imran Khan.
The hearing scheduled for June 10 was postponed due to the division bench’s unavailability, which included Justice Muhammad Azam Khan and Justice Inam Amin Minhas. This adjournment extended the court’s interim protection order, continuing to shield residents from eviction.
Following the submission of the committee’s final report, the prime minister established the JIT, to be led by a Grade-21 officer from the National Accountability Bureau. The team also includes senior officers from the Federal Investigation Agency, Intelligence Bureau, Inter-Services Intelligence, Federal Board of Revenue, and the Ministry of Interior.
The JIT’s mandate is to conduct a detailed investigation into the entire lifecycle of the One Constitution Avenue project, including examining the financial default, identifying institutional failures, and determining those responsible for the ongoing controversy.
