ISLAMABAD: The government has taken possession of One Constitution Avenue, while the federal cabinet has approved the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report concerning the property, Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi said on Wednesday.
Addressing a press conference, Naqvi said the building would be converted into a five-star hotel within the next few months. He added that a multinational company would be hired to assess the property’s value, as the government could not operate the hotel itself.
The interior minister said government land in Islamabad had been illegally occupied and held officials of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) responsible for the situation. According to the JIT report, compensation would be paid to those found entitled to receive it.
Naqvi thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for supporting the action and said the government was committed to recovering all illegally occupied state land without making concessions. He added that efforts were also underway to reclaim government land in sectors C-14, C-15 and C-16.
Acknowledging that pressure had been exerted during anti-encroachment operations, Naqvi said CDA Chairman had carried out the operation with government support. He stressed that the objective was not simply to launch an operation but to ensure its completion.
Responding to reports about the size of his personal staff, the minister said his team included a chief security officer, a personal staff officer and a director. Referring to former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, he said his predecessor had six personal staff officers.
Naqvi also urged the public not to rely solely on social media reports, adding that he would have accepted a list of 28 staff members if one had been presented to him.