The top court on Tuesday observed that illegal swap of Punjab forest land near Islamabad is a fit case for filing a reference against the person who had misused his authority. The court was informed that the then chief minister, Chaudhry Pervaiz Illahi, had approved the demarcation of forest land in Takht Pari, which was given to a privately owned real estate development company.
Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, heading a five-member larger bench, inquired from a counsel whether he could cite any section from the Land Revenue Act, Rule of Business or Forest Act wherein the chief minister approves the land demarcation.
Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, a member of the bench, questioned how the chief minister could address the minor issue like approving the demarcation. "Why had the CM attended to the issue of land demarcation?" Justice Khosa asked. The hearing was adjourned to Dec 3.