KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on Thursday took over the 38-acre Askari Park from the military authorities, more than a month after directions from the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP).
Last year, a two-member bench of the SC had directed the military-run administration to hand over the Askari Amusement Park to the KMC within two weeks.
KMC administrator’s spokesperson Sikander Baloch said possession of the park was formally taken during a meeting of KMC Director General Parks Junaid Khan and Senior Director Estate Imtiaz Ali Abro with military officials at the park.
The park’s name has been changed to KMC Amusement Park while entry to the premises for general public will be free from tomorrow. “The process to demolish the marriage hall built in the park is currently underway and would be completed soon”, he added.
The park was built on land vacated after the shifting of the city’s popular “Old Sabzi Mandi” to Superhighway (now Motorway-9) during the era of former president Gen (retd) Pervez Musharraf.
During the hearing of the case in December, a Corps V representative had told the court that the park was given to military authorities on a 99-year lease.
In response, the then chief justice, Gulzar Ahmed had remarked that the land was handed over to military authorities to develop it as a park, but it was being used for commercial purposes.
The court had also asked the civic agency to shut all commercial activities on the park, remove structures and open it to the public.
