High-Profile Appellants Challenge Islamabad High Court Ruling in One Constitution Avenue Case
May 2026 | By Azad News
A group of high-profile sub-lessees has challenged a recent Islamabad High Court ruling in the One Constitution Avenue case, filing an intra-court appeal to overturn the decision regarding luxury residential towers in Islamabad.
The appellants include former air chief Mujahid Anwar Khan, former ICC chairman Ehsan Mani, journalist Nasim Zehra, and other prominent individuals associated with the disputed property.
The appeal targets a single bench judgment issued on April 30, 2026, which upheld the cancellation of the project’s lease and linked the fate of sub-lessees to the developer BNP (Private) Limited.
The case concerns a 13.5-acre plot on Constitution Avenue originally leased by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in 2005 for a five-star hotel and serviced apartments, which were later converted into residential towers.
Over time, BNP constructed Tower B and Tower C and sold sub-leases to multiple buyers, including political, judicial, military, and media figures.
The dispute began when BNP defaulted on lease payments, prompting the CDA to cancel the lease in March 2023 and triggering extensive legal proceedings.
The earlier court ruling stated that sub-lessees would “sink or sail” with the developer, meaning their property rights depended on the fate of the main leaseholder.
In their appeal, the petitioners argue that their property rights were lawfully acquired and cannot be nullified due to the developer’s financial default.
They also cite a previous Supreme Court order from 2019, which reportedly protected the constructed towers and separated them from the rest of the disputed land.
The appellants further argue that the CDA, after cancelling the lease, continued managing the property through an appointed administrator and resident committee, which acknowledges the existence of sub-lease arrangements.
The One Constitution Avenue project has a long and complex history, involving multiple governments and repeated attempts to develop the land for commercial use.
Conclusion
The case highlights ongoing legal uncertainty surrounding major real estate developments in Islamabad, as courts weigh developer defaults against the property rights of individual sub-lessees.
This article is a rewritten summary based on publicly available information. It has been fully paraphrased for informational purposes only and does not reproduce any original copyrighted text.
