PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court(PHC) has allowed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi to use Nathia Gali Governor House as the provincial government’s move was deemed as an interference in the power of Governor.
According to the details, the court gave this decision after a preliminary hearing on a petition and issued a notice to the provincial government, seeking a response. The move to hand over the Nathia Gali Governor House to the provincial government was challenged in the court.
The case was heard by a two-member bench comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Dr. Khurshid Iqbal. The petitioner’s lawyer told the court “the provincial government has taken possession of the Nathia Gali Governor House and is planning to use it for commercial purposes, which is constitutionally an interference in the powers of the governor.”
After hearing the arguments of the parties, the court granted interim permission to Faisal Karim Kundi to use the Governor House. It also issued a notice to the provincial government and ordered it to file a detailed response on the matter.
It should be noted that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has adopted a strategy of using various government rest houses and historical buildings for public or commercial purposes. However, questions have been raised about the distribution of powers and constitutional boundaries on the use of constitutional offices like the Governor House.
Legal experts say that the court’s interim decision will pave the way for further legal debate in the upcoming hearing, in which it will be decided to what extent the provincial government can interfere in the boundaries of a constitutional institution like the Governor House.
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