Police and district administration on Friday took control of a multi-storey residential building on Constitution Avenue following a ruling by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a long-running dispute over the cancellation of its lease.

Police teams were deployed at all entry points of the “One Constitution Avenue” building, and residents were instructed to vacate their apartments by midnight. Several flats were already vacated, while occupants of some units were still moving their belongings.

The move followed the court’s decision a day earlier, prompting immediate administrative action on the ground.

The case centres on the Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) cancellation of the project’s lease. BNP Company had challenged the decision in the IHC, seeking restoration of the lease.

IHC Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar announced a short order dismissing the petition against the lease cancellation and disposing of related applications filed by apartment owners.

Residents argued that the CDA had approved the building plan and issued a no-objection certificate (NOC), after which apartments were purchased. They maintained the dispute was between the CDA and the developer and should be resolved between the concerned parties.

Read: SC petition challenges IHC judges’ transfer

The project originally stems from a 13.5-acre plot awarded to BNP Group following an auction on March 9, 2005, for Rs4.88 billion. Although possession was handed over the same year after an initial payment of Rs800 million, BNP has so far paid Rs1.02b, while the remaining Rs3.85b is recoverable in instalments until 2026.

In July 2016, the CDA cancelled the lease, citing multiple violations. The decision was upheld by the IHC in 2017, which also declared the conversion of a planned five-star hotel into luxury apartments illegal. However, the Supreme Court set aside that judgment in early 2019, directing the developer to pay Rs17.5b in instalments over eight years.

The CDA argued that BNP failed to meet its financial obligations after 21 years, maintaining that full ownership was conditional upon 100% payment of the land cost. Of the total Rs17.5b liability, only Rs2.9b — around 16.6% — has reportedly been paid.

The complex is reported to include apartments owned by several prominent figures, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan, Shandana Gulzar Aurangzeb, former minister Burjees Tahir, former caretaker prime minister Nasirul Mulk and Kashmala Tariq.