Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Pakistan court orders golf course shut in rare ruling against military

Pakistan court orders golf course shut in rare ruling against military

A golf club belonging to Pakistan's military was closed on Wednesday after a court ruled it encroached on national park land in the capital and breached environment regulations.

In a rare ruling against the country's powerful armed forces, judge Athar Minallah said Tuesday that the navy had "illegally" established Margalla Greens Golf Club, an 18-hole course adjacent to the country's top military university.


The course, which opened in 2010, also abuts the Margalla Hills National Park in a range of Himalayan foothills that partly ring Islamabad.

Pakistan has been ruled by the military for roughly half its 74-year history, and court decisions against the powerful institution are almost unheard of.

But only last year the Supreme Court questioned the use of military land for commercial projects and demanded a policy document signed by the chiefs of the three armed forces of the country.

The military holds vast sway over many aspects of commercial, cultural and political life.

Last year a United Nations report said it owned "the largest conglomerate of business entities in Pakistan", as well as being the country's biggest urban real estate developer and manager, with wide-ranging involvement in public construction projects.

Tuesday's court ruling ordered the golf course to be sealed and handed over to the Capital Development Authority and Islamabad Wildlife Management Board.

It said it should be demolished within four weeks unless it can be used for "an environmentally friendly activity".

A popular restaurant in the Margalla hills -- on land the army claimed it owned and leased out commercially -- was given a similar fate.

Mazher Allahyar, general manager of the Monal Restaurant, said they were considering challenging the court ruling, which he said would lead to job losses for around 600 people.

Pakistan has around 50 golf courses -- many built on military land -- but the sport is largely exclusive and played mostly by the wealthy or top brass of the armed forces.

Tuesday's ruling was greeted with glee by some activists on social media.

The judge was hitting the military where it "matters most to them", wrote one, followed by emojis of a money bag and a pile of dollars.

The Margalla Hills National Park is home to hundreds of different bird species as well as dozens of types of mammals and reptiles.

More For You

Modi set for UK visit to sign free trade agreement

FILE PHOTO: Keir Starmer (L) with Narendra Modi. (Photo: Getty Images)

Modi set for UK visit to sign free trade agreement

INDIA's prime minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to the UK by the end of this month for a visit that could see both sides formally sign the landmark India-UK free trade agreement and explore ways to expand bilateral ties in the defence and security sphere, diplomatic sources said.

Both sides are in the process of finalising the dates for Modi's visit to the country by the end of July or the first part of August, they said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Investigators focus on engine fuel controls as Air India crash report nears release

Highlights:

 
     
  • Investigators are focusing on fuel control switches in the Air India crash.
  •  
  • The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad.
  •  
  • A preliminary report is expected by Friday, around 30 days after the crash.

A PRELIMINARY report into the Air India crash that killed 241 people in June is expected by Friday, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rishi Sunak returns to Goldman Sachs, will donate salary to charity

Rishi Sunak. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Rishi Sunak returns to Goldman Sachs, will donate salary to charity

FORMER prime minister Rishi Sunak has returned to the banking world as senior adviser at Goldman Sachs group, with plans to donate his salary to the education charity he recently established with his wife Akshata Murty.

The US-headquartered multinational investment bank, where Sunak worked before entering politics, made the announcement on Tuesday (8) after the requisite 12-month period elapsed since the British Indian leader's ministerial term concluded following defeat in the general election on July 4 last year.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London.

Getty Images

Post Office scandal linked to 13 suicides, says inquiry

Highlights:

 
     
  • Public inquiry finds up to 13 suicides linked to wrongful Post Office prosecutions.
  •  
  • Horizon IT system faults led to false accusations, financial ruin, and imprisonment.
  •  
  • Sir Wyn Williams says Post Office maintained a “fiction” of accurate data despite known faults.

A PUBLIC inquiry has found that up to 13 people may have taken their own lives after being wrongly accused of financial misconduct by the Post Office, in what is now described as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK ramps up drought response following driest spring

The EA has begun conducting more compliance checks on high-usage industries

Getty Images

UK ramps up drought response following driest spring since 1893

Key points

  • Spring 2025 was England’s driest and warmest in over 130 years
  • Reservoirs across England only 77% full, compared to 93% average
  • Environment Agency increases monitoring and drought planning
  • North-west England officially declared in drought

Water conservation measures stepped up ahead of summer

The UK government has increased efforts to manage water resources after confirming that England experienced its driest and warmest spring since 1893. The Environment Agency (EA) reported that reservoirs were on average only 77% full, significantly lower than the usual 93% for this time of year.

The announcement came after a National Drought Group meeting on Thursday, which reviewed the impact of continued dry weather on crops, canal navigation, and river flows. Poor grass growth and dry soil conditions were noted as threats to food production and livestock feed.

Keep ReadingShow less