Attempt to encroach Karachi University's land thwarted

Campus Security Officer says it was an attempt to extend already encroached land by Jamia Binoria authorities

KARACHI: A recent attempt to encroach the University of Karachi’s (KU) land was thwarted by the university authorities with the help of Rangers and Police on Wednesday. 

“Five years ago, Jamia Binoria authorities had illegally constructed a mosque on the university’s land and today they were trying to raise a boundary wall in its surroundings,” KU’s Campus Security Officer Muhammad Zubair told The Express Tribune.

Read: Alleged encroachment: SHC restrains seminary from constructing mosque on KU land

Zubair claimed that the attempt to illegally extend the already encroached land of the university opposite the its main entrance, the Silver Jubilee gate, was foiled with the help of Rangers and police.

The campus security officer went on to add that several cabins and stalls were also removed which were illegally operating on the university’s land.

Further, authorities have also issued a notice to the owner of Pizza Hut restaurant, situated opposite Karachi University, to remove his power generator from the university’s land. The owner was paying Rs120,000 in rent to some unauthorised persons instead of paying it to the KU’s administration.

This is however not the first time encroachers have tried to illegally acquire the land of the university as a number of such incidents have occurred in the past.

Earlier this month, a dispute on a property located adjacent to Bhayani Heights near the Maskan gate of the KU broke out when labourers associated with Rufi builders and developers had started construction work on the said land.

Read: Property dispute: KU foils builders' attempt to grab its land

Later, police had called a meeting between the university’s administration and representatives of the Rufi builders the next day to sort out the matter. “Representatives of the Rufi builders paid us a visit when the issue arose in the morning and showed all the necessary documents that prove their ownership,” SHO Zafar Abbas of Mobina Town police station had said.

The varsity’s security officer had demanded law enforcers to take strict action against the land grabbers and declare the land as property of the KU, so that no one tries to encroach upon it in the future.