Land rights: Residents challenge ASF’s plans to build residential complex

KARACHI:

The Sindh High Court (SHC) issued notices to the defence and civil aviation authorities on a petition, challenging the launch of a residential facility for employees of the Airport Security Force (ASF) on a 50-acre privately-owned land in violation of the city's ownership laws.

The association of residents of Pehlwan Goth had taken the defence secretary and the directors-general of the civil aviation authority and the airport security force to the court for allegedly encroaching upon their private lands to launch the residential accommodation.

The association, represented by advocate Imtiaz Ali, submitted that Pehlwan Goth is one of the oldest slums in the city and houses 25,000 families living over 113 acres. The ASF staff and personnel of the armed forces had started raising constructions over a piece of land, measuring 50 acres, in the Na-Class No. 171 owned by the association on March 29. The respondents had neither sought any permission nor made any payments for the land, where they are going to set-up accommodation units for the families of the ASF employees, he said.

The lawyer contended that the launching of such a facility was illegal and amounted to encroaching upon the land owned by private persons, as the association had made requisite payments to get ownership rights of the land. He added that the executive officer of the Karachi Cantonment Board had acknowledged such payments in the past. The court was pleaded to restrain them from launching the residential facility.

Headed by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan, the bench issued notices to the respondents, the deputy attorney-general and the advocate-general for May 28 to file comments.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 13^th, 2014.