PHC suspends tender for commercial activities on parkland

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has suspended the tender for commercial activities on the land designated for a park in Mardan Sports Complex.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Waqar Ahmed, issued notices to the chief secretary of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the secretary sports, the director general sports, and other respondents.

The petitioners, Barrister Saqib Raza and Advocate Mubashir Manzoor, presented their case, arguing that 8 kanals of land was allocated for a recreational park in the Mardan Sports Complex. However, the land is now being repurposed for commercial activities, which has already resulted in a tender being issued for commercial development.

The petitioners stated that if commercial activities commenced, there would be no space left for women and children to enjoy the park. They also pointed out that the Mardan Road was already congested with numerous commercial plazas, affecting traffic flow.

The court was requested to impose a ban on any commercial construction on the land designated for the recreational park.

Following the hearing, the court suspended the tender for commercial use of the park’s land and issued notices to officials concerned to submit replies.