The allottees of Gulshan-e-Mehran Housing Society held a protest against Malir Cantonment Board (MCB) for non-implementing the orders of Sindh High Court and denying the allottees construction rights on their properties despite lapse of 50 years.
Chairman Action Committee Gulshan-e-Mehran, Taufiquddin Siddiqui and Jamat-e-Islami Airport District chief led the protest rally from Super Highway to Tank Chowk via Jinnah Avenue. A large number of allottees along with their families joined the protest.
The owners in Gulshan-e-Mehran haven't been handed over the possession of their properties despite lapse of 50 years. The Action Committee had approached Sindh High Court, which ruled in favour of the plot owners. However, Malir Cantonment Board has not honoured the court orders.
Taufiquddin Siddiqui said the second generation of original allottees had grown up and yet they were denied their rightful possession.
"We have had enough and now we will utilise all democratic means to get our right."
Siddiqui said that the owners were unable to build houses on their plots because Cantonment Board was deterring approval of construction maps. "Court should take suo moto action, make a contempt case against Cantonment Board for not obeying the court orders.
Gulshan-e-Mehran, Scheme 33, was established in 1970. Employees, working in various government institutions, were allotted the plots for which they had to make some payments. The rightful owners of the plots have been fighting for the possession and construction rights on their plots for 50 years.
Hafiz Haroon Alam said that he had been working in Saudi Arabia. "I came back to Pakistan in 2010 and invested my hard earned money in Gulshan-e-Mehran. Like every person I dreamed of my own home, but I am unable to start construction on my property."
Alam said the court had several times ordered Cantonment Board and the society management to approve the maps, but no action was taken as yet.
"The society is receiving the applications but maps are not approved."
Another allottee said, "We have long been fighting for our rights. We have been deprived of our properties and compelled to live in rented houses."
According to Gulshan-e-Mehran management, the entire land was registered in the name of the housing society, and title documents were verified by the Sindh Board of Revenue in January 2020.
The society is span over 600 acres of land, of which 128 acres in Sector-33 are under litigation with PAF. While land mafia has also occupied certain pieces of land in the society. It may be mention here that around 70 per cent of the plots are on 99-year lease.
Several allottees have died since 1968, and their second generation has grown old, but still the rightful owners remain deprived of their properties. The affectees have appealed to the Army Chief and Director General Military Lands to take notice of this injustice by Malir Cantonment Board. They also appealed to Chief Justice Supreme Court of Pakistan to take action on non-implementation of several court orders by Malir Cantonment Board.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 9th, 2022.
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