In a significant ruling issued on Friday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed housing societies located outside the federal capital to refrain from using the name ‘Islamabad’ in their titles.
This directive came in response to a petition challenging the cancellation of housing society registrations and was issued by IHC Chief Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir. Many of these housing societies have incorporated the term ‘Islamabad’ into their names, which has led to potential misconceptions about their actual geographical location.
The court has underscored the importance of these societies altering their project names to eliminate any confusion regarding their placement within the boundaries of the Islamabad Capital Territory.
Chief Justice Tahir has emphasized that this objective can be achieved through a rebranding of the ongoing housing projects. The primary aim of this name adjustment is to clarify that these housing societies do not fall under the jurisdiction of Islamabad.
Furthermore, the court has mandated that these societies must publish notifications in both national and international newspapers at their own expense, explicitly stating that their projects are not situated within the Islamabad Capital Territory.
To ensure widespread public awareness, these notifications must also be prominently displayed at visible locations within and outside the registered offices and project sites of these societies.
In addition to these measures, the court has directed the Registrar to conduct an inquiry to determine whether these societies were originally registered in Islamabad but subsequently launched projects in Punjab without acquiring land in the federal capital. This could potentially be seen as an attempt to circumvent the restrictions imposed in Punjab.
The Registrar’s investigation will focus on the registration dates in relation to the implementation of the ban in Punjab.
This ruling by the Islamabad High Court aims to eliminate any ambiguity surrounding the geographical locations of housing societies and to prevent any misrepresentation that may arise from the use of the term ‘Islamabad’ in their names.