STAFF REPORTER KARACHI The Supreme Court on Friday, hearing a case on illegal constructions and encroachments in Karachi, directed officials to demolish all illegally-constructed buildings in Punjab Colony, Delhi Colony, PNT Colony and Gizri Road areas of the metropolis. The directions were given by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, at the apex court’s Karachi registry. Attorney General of Pakistan Anwar Mansoor Khan, Sindh Advocate General Salman Talibuddin, Sindh Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah and officials from the Cantonment Board Clifton appeared before the court. During the proceedings, the court grilled cantonment officials, persistently questioning “who gave the orders for constructing such tall buildings in colonies”. This prompted the counsel for the cantonment board to say: “There is permission to construct groundplus-one buildings in Delhi Colony.” “Who said Delhi Colony is a residential area? Clearly you have not gone to the place in question. You cannot satisfy us by speaking in English,” remarked Justice Ahmed. Taking the CBC land director to task, the CJP said: “You sold flats for Rs50 million each and now you are saying that this construction is illegal. Do you walk with your eyes closed, do you even know the meaning of cantonment?” Noting that the Defence Housing Authority was established even before the CBC, the CJP then went on to say: “If we examine the record of DHA [too] most of the allotments would turn out to be unauthorised.” Justice Ahmed told the attorney general to raze the illegal buildings in the aforementioned areas to the ground. When officials pointed out that these were difficult tasks to carry out, the CJP stressed that they had to be done “even if I am dismissed”.
