Plea filed against sealing of Alvi's clinic

KARACHI:

Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday approved the urgent hearing of a petition against the sealing of former president Dr Arif Alvi's dental clinic.

Barrister Ali Tahir, counsel of the petitioners-former first lady Samina Alvi and her son Awab Alvi-argued that the sealing of the clinic is illegal and vindictive. He requested the court to order the desealing of the clinic, and the court accepted the petition for urgent hearing.

Awab Alvi spoke to the media, stating that the Sindh Healthcare Commission attempted to seal the clinic at 4pm. After finding nothing, the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) arrived about an hour-and-a-half later and sealed the clinic without hesitation.

He explained that when one department found no issues, leading to a referral to another agency, which also found nothing and then passed the matter to a third institution. Awab Alvi emphasised that they did not receive any notice regarding the sealing; had they received one, they would have responded accordingly.

The SBCA sealed a dental clinic operating in the residence of former President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi, on Thursday. The clinic, located at House 23B, Sindhi Muslim Society, was sealed following complaints of commercial activities in a residential area.