Stalemate persists in postal officers housing society land dispute

The status of the houses of the Pakistan Post officials is in limbo as the housing society where it is located remains locked in a dispute over ownership, with the Sindh Board of Revenue (SBR) department contending that the area is protected under the Sindh Goth-Abad (Housing Scheme) Act 1987.

Officers of the postal department have plots in the Pakistan Post Office Employees Cooperative Housing Society, which the revenue department says is rural village land of Abdullah Shah Ghazi Goth and protected under the village development scheme.

The housing society counsel argued before the Sindh High Court that the scheme designed to protect ancient villages within the Karachi division from builder mafia was being misused by unscrupulous elements for land grabbing.

The SBR counsel submitted a report stating that 1000-yard bungalows have been built on the land belonging to the goth. The counsel contended that housing society members have neither the ownership rights nor any legal documents, hence their title is questionable.

The housing society's lawyer said that the Supreme Court had ordered that no village could be established in urban areas, but 65 acres of land belonging to the Post Office Society had been encroached upon on pretext of Goth Abad scheme.

The lawyer for the East district assistant commissioner said the society had purchased land which was adjacent to the rural area.

The court adjourned the case till April 18 due to lack of time.

Afghan woman's citizenship plea

The SHC issued notices to the Home secretary and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) officials regarding the petition of an Afghan woman seeking Pakistani citizenship.

The counsel stated Zainab Bibi married a Pakistani citizen in 2008. She and her spouse have been residing in the Defence Housing Authority area of Karachi since 2008.

The authorities concerned are not processing Zainab's application for domicile although she has been living at her current address for the several years, the counsel said.

The Sindh chief justice remarked whether all immigrants living in Pakistan for a long time were liable to get citizenship.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2023.