Islamic culture centre in Karachi to be restored, orders SC

KMC-run alMarkaz-e-Islami was converted into a cinema five years ago

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) directed on Friday the provincial government and Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) authorities to restore to its original position a portion of the alMarkaz-e-Islami, which was converted into a cinema.

A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Gulzar Ahmed, also directed the KMC to take appropriate action against the corporation’s employees, as well as the contractor who, in collusion with each other, had turned the place into a cinema in violation of the rules.

Initially, the Islamic cultural centre was planned during the tenure of then Jamaat-e-Islami mayor Abdul Sattar Afghani. Spreading over six acres of land, the building, named the alMarkaz-e-Islami, was planned in Federal B Area to comprise hostels, a library, picture gallery, research hall for 100 people and an auditorium for around 350 people. Later, during the tenure of the party’s Naimatullah Khan, it was planned that a Quran-o-Sunnat Academy would be set up there.

Last year, then chief justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali had initiated suo motu proceedings based on an application written by the Jamaat-e-Islami’s Karachi amir, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman.



The top court was previously told by the KMC that the corporation had rented out the auditorium of the Islamic centre to a cinema house for Rs200,000 per month.

During Friday’s proceedings, Advocate Taufeeq Asif, who represented Jamaat-e-Islami, informed the court that the auditorium has been used to screen films for the last five years.

He argued that the Islamic culture centre had been converted into a cinema house, which was an un-Islamic and immoral offence. This act is also against the ideology of Pakistan, he claimed.

Asif informed the court that the building meant for religious cultural activities was rented out by then mayor Syed Mustafa Kamal. He said later the premises was sublet to the M/s Cinepax, which was screening movies in the auditorium by converting it into a cinema.

A lawyer representing the KMC told the court that the corporation had sealed the premises over non-payment of dues, but the private contractor, M/s Cinepax, had obtained a stay order. The court was pleaded to grant leave to appeal against the Sindh High Court’s stay and grant a stay against the same.



The Jamaat-e-Islami lawyer pleaded to the apex court to order the restoration of the Islamic culture centre to its original form for the purpose it was established instead of turning into a cinema.

The apex court suspended the stay order granted by the high court and directed the provincial government and KMC authorities to restore the alMarkaz-e-Islami to its original position, as it was before it was turned into a cinema.

The court also referred the matter to the National Accountability Bureau to investigate into the alleged non-payment of the rent to the KMC by M/s Cinepax, as alleged by the former. The judges called for compliance reports from the accountability bureau and other authorities by the next date of the hearing.