Defence ministry submits reply in SC in restaurant case

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Defence on Thursday admitted that the agreement between Monal Group of Companies and the GHQ was illegal hence the Supreme Court’s declaration of illegality of this agreement is absolutely correct.

In pursuance of court’s directions dated June 11, 2024, the Ministry of Defence submitted its reply in the Supreme Court through Additional Attorney General Javed Iqbal Wains and it was submitted that the ministry had gone through all the available record pertaining to the lease agreement dated September 30, 2019, between Monal Group of Companies and RVF, Directorate GHQ, and there is nothing on record which transpired that the federal government had given any approval to execute the lease agreement.

“It is admitted, if the said lease agreement had to be executed then it should have been executed in accordance with existing laws and rules made thereunder with the approval of federal government,” said the compliance reply.

“The Ministry of Defence on behalf of federal government accepts and acknowledges that the said agreement is void ab-initio as rightly observed by this court,” the reply further read.

The reply requested the court that the compliance report on behalf of Ministry of Defence may be taken on record.