KARACHI: The Supreme Court has declared the Pavilion End Club and Aladin Park Shopping Mall as illegal and ordered to demolish the structures within two days.
During hearing at the Supreme Court’s Karachi registry, the apex court declared both structures illegal located in Gulshan-e-Iqbal and directed the immediate action must be taken with help of police and Rangers.
The court expressed immense displeasure and remarked that the land was illegally commercialized with the construction. It also directed to vacate the land adjacent to the UBL Complex on Main Rashid Minhas Road.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court had rejected a plea by anti-encroachment affetees to stop the operation along the Orangi and Gujjar stormwater drain and pay compensation.
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed heard a case at the Karachi registry against the razing of housing along the drains. The apex court also instructed the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) to continue the anti-encroachment drive along the stormwater drains ahead of the monsoon season.
The counsel for the KMC informed the bench that the work on the expansion of Gujjar and Orangi drains was underway on court orders, but the anti-encroachment tribunal has stopped them from razing leased houses.
Advocate General Sindh said the houses along the drains had been illegally leased by different government departments.
He apprised the court that Rs20,000 per month rent would be given to the affectees whose houses were being razed. The chief justice remarked that the Sindh government is responsible for leasing the land of the drains.
The lawyer of the affectees said that the lease issued by the KDA, KMC, and Katchi Abadi Department. He urged that 6,000 affectees of the anti-encroachment operation should be given alternate housing.
The SC bench questioned on providing relief to people encroaching state land as all documents are fake. The judge said encroachments will have to be removed in any case and said the operation could not be stopped.
The apex court revoked the stay order and ordered the KMC to continue the anti-encroachment drive along the Gujjar and Orangi drains. It also turned down a plea for compensation by the affectees.
