Bhara Kahu bypass project: IHC dismisses QAU plea against construction 

Islamabad:  The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday dismissed Quaid-e-Azam University (QAU) faculty’s petition registered against the construction of the Bhara Kahu bypass project on land owned by the institute.  

According to details, the court had reserved its verdict on Friday over the appeal filed by the QAU against the construction of the bypass on university-owned land.  

A single bench of IHC comprising, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb announced the verdict today on the plea filed by five faculty members of QAU.

After hearing the arguments by the petitioners and defendants, Justice Aurangzeb decided to dispose the stay order on the construction of ‘Bhara Kahu bypass project’.

Capital Development Authority’s (CDA) counsel Hafiz Arafat Ahmed, in its last hearing, maintained that the project was launched after getting all the required approvals.

The counsel said: “The project was initially conceived by the National Highway Authority (NHA)”.

He acknowledged that the CDA had tried another attempt to initiate the project last year but Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) did not approve the project.

But now, the Pak-EPA had approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the project and there are no further legal difficulties.

It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif— on September 30, 2022— laid the foundation of the Bhara Kahu bypass, ordering the relevant authorities to complete the project within three months.

The five-kilometre road includes one kilometre flyover— starting from Murree Road near the Quaid-e-Azam University stop and ending on the same road near the Jugi bus stop, adjacent to the Punjab Cash and Carry—from where a flyover will begin which will end outside Bhara Kahu bazaar towards Murree.