SC orders demolition of illegal constructions including mosque to restore park in Karachi

KARACHI – The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the authorities concerned to demolish all illegal construction, including a mosque and shrine, to retrieve land meant for Kidney Hill Park in Karachi.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed issued the order while hearing case against illegal constructions on the park’s land at the Supreme Court's Karachi registry. Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab and the Karachi commissioner also attended the hearing.

The kidney-shaped hilly area was declared a park in the early 1960s but the Overseas Pakistanis Co-operative Housing Society claimed that the land was allotted to it by the Karachi Development Authority since it merged into the formerly city district government (now KMC), Dawn news reported.

The dispute was resolved after decades of hearing when both sides reached an agreement in 2006 in the Supreme Court. Under the agreement, the erstwhile CDGK was given 20 acres for the park while 40 acres were allotted to the housing society.

Later, the agreement was challenged by the non-governmental organisation, Shehri-Citizens for Better Environment, in the Sindh High Court stating that law was undermined in it.

The case is now being heard by the Supreme Court, with Shehri CBE pointing out that Al-Fateh Mosque’s constructions was underway on the land meant for the park.

A lawyer of the mosque said that the land for the worship place was obtained through auction from KMC.

Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed remarked that no one should be barred from offering prayers at any spot in the park and directed Karachi commissioner to submit a report on it in next hearing. The court said that KMC had no authority to issue a permit for the construction of a mosque and turned down the review plea filed by the mosque administration.

After hearing arguments, the apex court ordered the deployment of armed security guards in the park to stop illegal construction on the site.

The hearing of the case was adjourned till the next session.