Residents seek help from Mohsin Naqvi

Concerned citizens of Islamabad have appealed to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to take notice of alleged rise in administrative overreach

ISLAMABAD: Concerned citizens of Islamabad have appealed to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to take notice of alleged rise in administrative overreach in Naval Anchorage Housing Society where the management uses as extreme coercive tactics as cutting off electricity supply to houses of those residents who lodges any complaint against failure in service delivery.

The latest of such incidents took place on the morning of October 21, when the society administration cut off electricity supply of a university professor days after he drafted a complaint against the society’s ongoing water infrastructure failures.

In a written complaint, the professor stated that he discovered his power had been disconnected by the society’s administration overtaking the authority of Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO).

The professor said that he had lodged a complaint against administration of the society regarding their failure to provide adequate residential water supply as per Capital Development Authority (CDA) standards. Moreover, the water supply charges and fine amounts also exceed the standard set by the CDA.

Legal experts note that housing society administrations do not possess the independent regulatory or contractual authority to sever utility lines over separate maintenance disputes.

“This is not merely a dispute over a maintenance bill; it is a blatant violation of fundamental rights and the rule of law,” said the professor in a formal complaint issued to the society. “Using electricity as an illegal leverage tool to silence legitimate grievances about failing water infrastructure is coercive, retaliatory, and strictly prohibited under Pakistani law. Residents cannot be subjected to arbitrary measures for demanding basic amenities,” he said.

Law experts said that such an abrupt coercive action stands in violations of Articles 4, 9, and 10A of the Constitution of Pakistan, which guarantee the right to due process, a fair trial, and the protection of life.

It also disregard for rulings by the Lahore High Court (e.g., Haji Muhammad Latif v. Chief Executive GEPCO), which establish that punitive utility disconnections without prior notice and the opportunity for a hearing are unlawful.

They added that Chapter 8 of the IESCO Consumer Service Manual strictly dictates the legal grounds for disconnection.

In the past, the society had done the same for another university professor, who raised the question of security charges after a series of thefts and robberies in the area close to graveyard in the society. The professor said that he and his family are living in a constant fear of the security staff of Naval Anchorage as like many, they also believe that robberies and thefts could not have been so rampant in the society without a link between the criminals and the security staff.

CDA spokesperson did not explain the situation until this news story was filed.