Construction at Frere Hall, SHC adjourns contempt hearing

Petition filed against KMC for continuing construction at Frere Hall entry despite court orders to stop it

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) has adjourned the hearing of contempt of court petition against new constructions in Frere Hall till June 29.

SHC bench heard Marvi Memon's contempt petition against KMC for continuing construction of arches at the entry of Frere Hall despite court orders to stop it.

Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Land Anti-Encroachment Bashir Siddiqui and other officials including KMC Director General Parks (DG Parks) were present in the court room.

KMC filed an unconditional pardon application in the court stating, "we have been following the orders of the courts in letter and spirit."

Siddiqui told the court that he had relinquished most of the government land on the orders of the courts. "I have received death threats from Iran, Afghanistan and even South Africa," he said.

DG Parks said that he never refused court orders during my entire service tenure.

The court remarked that if this was your performance during entire tenure, then your job should have ended 20 years ago. The court maintained that "if you appear before the before the inquiry committee. What is the problem in it?

On this occasion, the counsel of KMC requested not to suspend the Senior Director Land Anti-Encroachment.

The court remarked that a two-member bench had heard the appeal of KMC on June 22 while delaying the implementation of the June 20 order of the single bench.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 28^th, 2022.