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NEWSCLIPPINGS

JANUARY TO JUNE 2020

HOUSING

Urban Resource Centre A-2, 2nd floor, Westland Trade Centre, Block 7&8, C-5, Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Karachi.

Tel: 021-4559317, Fax: 021-4387692, Email: urc@cyber.net.pk, Website: www.urckarachi.org Facebook: www.facebook.com/URCKHI Twitter: https://twitter.com/urc_karachi

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Another building at risk of collapsing in Timber Market Just a day after a six-story building collapsed and was reduced to rubble in Timber Market, on Monday night, fear arose of another building in the same area likely to suffer the same fate. A four-storey building located on Bandook Wala Road, near Old Haji Camp, is identified to have a crumbling structure. Cracks have appeared on the building‘s pillars and walls as is it is feared to collapse, also causing damage to other structures sit uated adjacent to it. However, despite being warned of the looming disaster, the building‘s inhabitants have refused to vacate their houses. Talking to The Express Tribune, All Pakistan Timber Traders Association Chairperson Muhammad Sharjeel Goplani said that t he building was constructed in 2004 and housed eight apartments that are mostly inhabited by labourers. Claiming that the Sindh Building Control Authority had been informed about the building derelict condition, he said that so f ar, SBCA officials had not taken any measures in this regard and no officials from the department had visited the site to inspect the building. Raising concerns over the crumbling state of the building, Goplani said that if the building collapsed, lives could be lost a nd the residents were to suffer from financial loss as well. Revealing that the building was illegally constructed on a footpath, he stressed the need to raze it and appealed to the relevant authorities to take immediate measures so as to avoid any untoward occurrence. Meanwhile, removal of debris, accumulated following the collapse of a six-storey building in the area, was initiated Monday night, after lights were installed at the location. The clearing work continued throughout the day on Tuesday. As a result of the collapse, 24 families have been left homeless. The affected families lamented their loss, saying that they were deprived of the shelter of their homes and weren‘t able to retrieve their belongings from under the rubble. Each of the apartment inside the building cost between Rs3 million and Rs4 million, they said, and questioned that who would compensate for their loss. ―I had managed to save Rs600,000, pooling funds in a committee, but all that money is now lost under the debris,‖ said a woman, who asked not to be named. ‖ The affected families have appealed to the government to help them recover the loss. Meanwhile, SBCA has set up a seven-member committee, headed by SBCA additional director general, to investigate the incident. The committee has been asked to identify the reasons behind the collapse, material used for its construction as well as how the approval was given for its construction. It has been given 15 days to complete the investigation and submit a report to SBCA director general. Police and rescue teams have been deployed at the place of the incident and political parties have set up camps to provide relief to the displaced persons. (By Our Correspondent The Express Tribune, 04, 01/01/2020)

Building collapse probe to identify negligent SBCA officials begins

The collapse of a multi-storey ―illegally-constructed‖ residential building in Ranchhore Line, which was raised only 15 years ago, sent ripples in the quarters concerned as the Sindh government on Tuesday ordered a ―through inquiry‖ into the incident. Officials said that the inquiry was aimed at identifying the individuals, builders and also officials of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), if any, who allowed the violations of defined rules in construction of the six-storey building. The order to hold the inquiry came from the Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, who asked the director general of the SBCA to complete the task within a week by identifying the people responsible for the tragedy and suggest action against them. Pakistan Peoples Party leader and Chief Minister‘s Special Assistant Waqar Mehdi, who visited the spot after the incident, said the inquiry ordered by the government would mainly focus on the elements within the SBCA who were encouraging such illegal activities for vested interests. ―The inquiry into the incident will definitely help establishing a system of accountability in the institution and set an example for future as well,‖ said Mr Mehdi, who is looking after the Chief Minister Inspection Team (CMIT). ―We are also looking into the matter and will submit our report to Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah very soon. Luckily, no one was injured in the incident but we cannot ignore the serious violation of laws. We hope the inquiry will set a precedent for the future.‖ On Monday afternoon, the ground-plus-six-storey building, which had two shops and 19 flats where a number of families had been living since many years, collapsed after developing cracks.

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The police and the area people said that that the building in Timber Market had tilted before being collapsed. The police and rescue services of different charities had ensured that all men, women and children vacate their flats. In order to avoid any eventuality, the police also marked the building with yellow crime scene tape to prevent other people from going there. The police said that the multi-storey building was constructed in 2004.The Karachi commissioner had also ordered an inquiry as to how the building constructed in 2004 was collapsed although the buildings constructed 100 years ago were still intact in the city. Mr Mehdi, meanwhile, appealed to the people to take all due care and stay cautious while making any deal in real estate. ―The government is making every possible move to streamline the documentation and legal process while the SBCA is also taking action against illegally-built structures in the city in line with the Supreme Court orders,‖ he claimed. ―But at the same time I appeal to the people of Karachi to demand and check every required property document from builder or seller. Apart from verification of the property documents from other institution, the people should also demand for SBCA-approved layout plans and maps of the raised structures.‖ (By Imran Ayub Dawn, 15, 01/01/2020)

Understanding megaprojects Why most megaprojects in Pakistan are not completed in time is a question requiring a well -coalesced understanding of the

nature and psychology of megaprojects. The management of megaprojects is inherently complex, rather risky, because of the involvement of denigrating externalities associated with their planning, preparation, and execution. There are a number of demurring examples showing how various economic, social, administrative, and political factors desiccated the execution pace of megaprojects in Pakistan. The recent media reports, for instance, suggest that work on several megaprojects in Lahore, including the three billion rupee Orange Line metro train‘s at-grade work, has come to a halt owing to either non-payment to contractors or other administrative issues. The eight billion rupee project of constructing sports complexes in all National Assembly constituencies in Lahore and the Rs3.5 billion Lahore Development Authority (LDA) City Housing Scheme have also reportedly witnessed similar decelerations in their work pace.

The history of megaprojects planning in Pakistan is full of quixotic over-optimism cobbled with a capricious understanding of the actual cost of the project. There has always been an aggrandising gap between a megaproject‘s cost on paper and the actual cost incurred by the national exchequer and masses. Despite a lapse of decades, the affected people of the Tarbela Dam projec t have not been compensated till today. Similarly, the perfunctory Nandipur Power Project has been termed as an unprecedented model of mismanagement, incompetence and corruption by the analysts owing mainly to the underestimation of its costs and overestimation of benefits by successive governments. A pristine forensic investigation into the state-of-the-art Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute and Research Centre, Lahore, blamed the former chief minister‘s over -optimism as the root cause of mismanagement, misuse of public money, award of contracts and weak controls over the multi -billion rupee project. The Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit Project has also experienced duping underestimation of actual costs and completion time by the planners and decision makers. These are just a few examples as the list of procrastinated projects in Pakistan goes on and o n. As common people are the real victims of the delays in public sector megaprojects, there is a need to winnow the anatomy of such projects in the light of credible international research. The management of megaprojects is a highly specialised field. An analytical opprobrium of the risks involved in megaprojects requires a holistic understanding of the components of knowledge that must be incorporated in decisions by politicians and decision makers. Professor Bent Flyvbjerg of Oxford University, according to the university website, is the most cited scholar in the world in megaproject planning and management. He identifies four main factors — terming them as ―sublimes‖ — which exponentially increase a project‘s cost and completion time: technological, political, economic and aesthetic. ―Technological sublime‖, originally credited to KT Frick, refers to the rapture technologists and engineers get from constructing huge scale projects seeing rich opportunities in them for pushing the boundaries of technology. This includes, but is not limited to, the longest bridge, the fastest aircraft, the largest dam, the tallest building, or the first of anything. However, it is a risk trap in which most projects are caught. ―Political sublime‖ is the rapture politicians and rulers get from constructing monuments for their political causes. The visibility of such monuments may result in their political superiority over their opponents. This facto r may play a significant role in their re-election in the polls. This is another planning lacuna and risk trap faced by most megaprojects. ―Economic sublime‖, being the third risk trap, is the pleasure derived by businessmen in making huge amounts of money and jobs off megaprojects. Some of the beneficiaries of economic sublime are contractors, engineers, landowners, developers, bankers, lawyers and so on. ―Aesthetic sublime‖, finally, is associated with appreciating good designs and large scale beauti ful megaprojects. Some projects get the governmental approvals merely because of being highly aesthetic in nature irrespective of their disproportionately high costs. This is the fourth risk trap in the planning and management of megaprojects. Based on this research, what lessons Pakistan can learn from the previous and ongoing delays in the execution of megaprojects and what is the way forward for planning and management of future megaprojects? Here it is suggested to plan megaprojects in four phases, namely: initiation, preparation, participation and continuation. All four phases are to be thematically driven by the principle of collective wisdom. The initiation stage can be termed as the strategic stage. Here it is pivotal to meaningfully and honestly engage all concerned stakeholders briefing them with the pros and cons of the project. Even asking the fundamental question of ―whether the project be built or not?‖ should not be avoided. Pakistan‘s vibrant social media can effectively be used for this purpose. The political leadership must acknowledge the power of collective wisdom and practical knowledge at this stage. There are no ―right‖ or ―wrong‖ type solutions in megaproject management. The solutions are always flexible depending on the context in which a megaproject is built. Some planners may argue that engaging stakeholders at the initiation stage may

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discourage the kick-starting of the project but the argument may be a component of ―technological sublime‖. Engaging the stakeholders at the initial strategic stage can fix the project‘s cost and completion time challenges in the futu re. At the preparation stage, the design of the project should be discussed with the stakeholders, politicians, technocrats and bureaucrats handling the project. This practice will pave the way for micro level consultations with the concerned stakeholde rs at the ―participation stage‖ where collective decisions should be taken through dialogue and negotiations. A robust questionnaire may be drafted to seek community feedback. New Zealand, for example, used different methods of public consultation in advancing its massive roads infrastructure — called Roads of National Significance. The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) prepared brochures and postcards, conducted individual meetings and EXPOs, set up an information center, website, a project phone line and feedback form and used the newspaper and radio for advertising purposes. The LDA and other implementing agencies may also devise similar methods for meaningful and honest public consultation. This stage will witness a diverse cacophony of feedback, some ―for‖ and some ―against‖ a megaproject. This feedback can be transformed into thematic areas as per the requirements of the project. These eclectic areas supported by the majority may be implemented at this stage as was done by the NZTA. If these stages are handled tactfully, the fourth stage of ―continuation‖ — meant at continuing with the project — will be a much easier phase eventually resulting in the success of the project. The kernel is to counter typical dictatorial top-down approach with an inclusive bottom-up strategy in planning and implementing megaprojects in Pakistan. (By Dr Muhammad Babar Chohan The Express Tribune, 17, 02/01/2020)

CM promises new homes for people displaced by coal mining projects

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has assured that people who would be dislocated due to coal mining and power generation projects in Tharparkar would be given alternative homes. ―But we request them to have little patience as we go through this phase of development,‖ he said after inaugurating the Salam Pakistan Thar culture festival along with Director General Sindh Rangers Maj Gen Umar Bukhari in Mithi, Tharparkar, on Saturday. The event featured horse race, camel dance, dog show, traditional wrestling called malakhra, helicopter paragliding, a display of martial arts skills by students of the Thar Foundation. It was organised by Sindh Rangers in collaboration with Sindh Engro C oal Mining Company (SECMC), Thar Foundation and Shanghai Electric. Shah dedicated the festival to the folk singers Mai Bhagi, Sadiq Faqeer and others who hailed from Tharparkar and announced that his government‘s culture department will also organise a similar festival in Thar in February. The CM referred to the model village set up by SECMC in Thar coal block II and said the displaced people in the other blocks would be inhabited in similar villages. ―Whatever promises we made to the people living in the b lock II, we fulfilled them. We will also fulfill our promises made to the people living in other blocks.‖ He advised the people of Tharparkar to opt for resettlement in new homes in order to secure the future of their children inst ead of selling their homes. He said that the Sindh government would begin to receive a royalty of the Thar coal project from June 2020, adding that the royalty would be spent on Tharparkar‘s development through the NGO Thar Foundation. Coal He expressed hope that the coal-powered electricity would not only meet the national requirements in the future but would also be exported. ―Thari people will become prosperous in the next few years.‖ He assured that the young people of Thar would operate the coal mining and power generation projects, among others, in the years to come. The CM announced that Thar coal blocks I and II would together start to contribute 3,000 megawatt electricity to the national grid from 2021. Hitherto, he added, two power plants of 330 MW each, owned and operated by Engro Powergen Thar Limited, have been supplying some three billion units of electricity to the grid. Shah said the Sindh government is paying the electricity bills of up to 200 units of the people of Islamkot taluka. A campus of NED university has been set up in Mithi taluka while 350 acres of land has been allocated for another university in Islamkot, he said. He also credited the government for providing communication facilities in the desert by constructing roads and an airport in Islamkot. He said around 40% of the district‘s population is Hindu which lived in harmony with the Thari Muslims. The CM expressed hope that not only Thar would bolster the economy of Pakistan it would also be known as a place of peace and religious harmony in the future. (By Our Correspondent The Express Tribune, 05, 05/01/2020)

Karachi’s development

AN agreement has been signed by the government with the World Bank for a $787 million loan that will be used for development of infrastructure. The main chunk of it — $382 million — has been earmarked for Karachi‘s yellow line project and $230 million for the competitive and liveable city of Karachi project.

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Obviously, these projects when completed successfully will ease the complex and complicated traffic system of Karachi and bring a relief to the people of Karachi who are deprived of clean drinking water, fresh air, basic health facilities, while a majority of children are out of schools owing to expensive and non-affordable education. These funds will bring some job opportunities for local people. It is to be seen how judiciously and speedily this money is utilised. Iftikhar Mirza Islamabad (From the Newspaper Dawn, 09, 07/01/2020)

Building collapse

THREE people died and many were injured in the Sukkur building collapse on Jan 2. A few days earlier, a building in Karachi fell.

While its residents were evacuated, all their belongings were destroyed. Not too long ago, a five-storey building in Lyari collapsed, killing over two dozen people and leaving many others maimed for life. Disappointingly, these incidents continue unabated, causing damage to life and property. Behind each of these tragedies is a common cause: countless built structures that are unfit for human habitation. The authorities concerned continue to declare buildings dangerous, especially before monsoon rains. In June 2019, the Faisalabad municipality issued notices to 500 buildings‘ owners urging them to carry out major repairs to ensure the occupants‘ safety. In Karachi‘s

old quarters, the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has declared several buildings dangerous. No one knows the exact number of similar abodes elsewhere in the city and beyond. Buildings with proper engineering design, construction and supervision fare much better in the face of various disasters. But the existence of such safe edifices is extremely limited. More common are informal building practices, which rely on little or no technical input. Such structures become living death traps. Locations in southern Sindh, in and around Karachi, resort to self-built construction comprising reinforced cement concrete and cement sand blocks. Most locations in Sindh, central and northern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have reinforced or unreinforced brick construction, with some use of timber and stones subject to cost and availability. Enactments by the poor are usually clad in mud construction. Roofing material also varies from cast-in-situ concrete to reed thatching. Improper design exposes these structures to multiple risks. Absence of soil investigation, basic foundations, inappropriate geometry of construction, poor or total lack of grading of construction materials, disproportionate use of reinforcement (wherever used), poor ventilation, absence of emergency exits, and faulty electrical and plumbing work render many a building un-utilisable. Poor wiring and conduit work has given rise to instances of building fires. Building management committees in residential and commercial complexes are not able to carry out essential repairs and maintenance. Such structures become living death traps. It is well known that the 2005 earthquake in Azad Kashmir and KP led to a scientific assessment of threats and vulnerabilities in the built environment, which revealed a dire need to properly plan and design buildings with threshold parameters for safe human habitation. Due to lack of adequate land use restrictions in city and regional planning laws, master plan rules or by-laws, cities tend to expand in all directions, occupying even the most hazard-prone areas. Realising this, it was felt that a proper techno-legal regime needed to be established. Through a consultative effort under the federal government‘s supervision, a national building code was prepared and notified over a decade ago. Local and provincial authorities were advised to apply the same and devise specific frameworks according to their needs. In Sindh, it is mainly the SBCA that has jurisdiction over the province‘s cities and settlements. For federal territories and military estates, cantonment boards and other bodies exercise building regulatory functions. While key documents such as building codes and zoning regulations have been enacted, anarchy in the domain of construction still prevails. Nor do the agencies display much efficiency on the ground when calamity strikes. The limited capacity of local institutions, weak interface between field stakeholders (eg, petty contractors and material suppliers) with local bodies, and malpractice have also compounded this issue. Immediate action is required by the authorities to examine unsafe structures and initiate repairs or evacuations accordingly. Several practical considerations must be kept in mind. Mere promulgation of by-laws and bureaucratic enforcement will not yield positive results. There must be independent oversight of building control bodies to maintain transparency and operational efficiency; the Sindh Building Control Ordinance explicitly mandates an oversight committee. Efforts must be made to enhance and standardise the quality of construction materials, such as cement, sand, steel, bricks and blocks. Many pilot projects have proved that construction quality is greatly improved with better-quality basic materials. Vocational training programmes in masonry and other building trades is another key consideration. Pakistan has a solid institutional framework of technical and vocational authorities in each province that must be engaged to develop output-oriented training programmes based on sound need analysis. By Noman Ahmed 09, 08/01/2020)

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Homeless shelters As the effects of climate change exacerbate, Pakistan will see an ever-increasing fluctuation of extreme temperatures from scorching heat to extreme cold. We all witnessed the devastation and death brought about by heat waves in the last few years and now as the country is in the grip of a severe cold wave, the temperature in Skardu dropped to a record low of -21 degree Celsius. In such dire circumstances the provincial Government of Punjab, backed by the Chief Secretary and Deputy Commissioners, has taken a great initiative by establishing 92 shelter homes which are currently housing around 1,700 homeless peop le. Even though the shelters are temporary, providing the homeless with food and drinks, they can be built into a sustainable model th at provides much more. Such models will not act as living grounds for many of the homeless but can also be replicated easi ly across the country. These shelters can also act as rehabilitation centers that give the homeless a new lease on life by educa ting and teaching them specific skills that can help them find jobs. Much can be done and significant change can be made if steps are taken in the right direction. The government should involve other stakeholders, especially design-thinkers, through which funding and development is bolstered and a collective realisation is brought about. The fact is that the 20 million homeless people in Pakistan are the most affected by these extreme climatic conditions and something needs to be done. These shelters seem to be a budding initiative that will also help the PM‘s goal o f alleviating poverty and homelessness in the country. While the government is playing its part in this regards, we as citizens need to come forward as active agents in the process. We should start this year off by providing for those that are less privileged. It is our responsibility to give back. (By Editorial The Express Tribune, 16, 08/01/2020)

Finally, an upgrade for Lyari

As the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) competes with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to get its stronghold in Lyari back, the oldest town in the metropolis, sometimes even referred to as the ‗mother‘ of the port city, may finally get new roads, pedestrian br idges and water and gas pipelines. The roads around Lea Market and Kakri Ground, as well as parts of Shah Abdul Latif Road and Mirza Adam Khan Road, have been repaired and carpeted. Rapid construction work is underway on Shah Waliullah Road and Siddique Wahab Road too. Residents of the area say water and gas supply lines are also being either replaced or repaired. Looking forward to the locality‘s new look, they said a better Lyari would emerge soon. ―I don‘t care who launches the projects, but they are beneficial for us,‖ commented Abdul Karim Baloch, a Lyari resident. ―We had no proper roads, and the area was in worse shape than a slum. Construction is always good, though, and it will reshape the entire locality.‖ Baloch, who had voted for PTI in the 2018 elections, said that he would rethink his support in the next round of polls. ―I am not an ideological voter,‖ he stated. ―I support leaders who deliver and prove their efficiency with their actions.‖ Lessons learnt by PPP? Meanwhile, Dawood Adam, another resident, said that he had not seen development across the locality before. ―I think PPP is preparing for the local government elections,‖ he smiled. ―But I am happy that at last something good is happening here.‖ Noting that development was better than the crime Lyari has long been known for, he said he could see that PPP was in competition with another party. ―I don‘t see PTI‘s presence anywhere,‖ he observed. ―It‘s like PPP used to be, disappearing once the elections are over.‖ Adam said that change was always welcome, adding that while he appreciated the construction of roads, he requested the government to also address issues such as the dearth of clean water. The sight of the development work was a new one for Shoaib Muhammad Hussain too. ―Roads are being repaired, water lines are being replaced, work on gas lines is underway and everybody is talking about new projects,‖ elaborated the resident of Phool Patti Lane. ―But PPP and PTI have to keep a check and ensure that high-quality work is being done.‖ He added that the political parties had to focus on long-term development projects. ―Short-term projects and media publicity will not serve us,‖ he asserted. ―We are not in the 80s or the 90s anymore. People have strong voices and reach through social media. They will expose whoever tries to mislead voters.‖ Writer and social activist Ramzan Baloch could feel positivity in the air of Lyari. ―Things are changing for the better in this old area of the city after a very long time,‖ he said. There was no alternative to the PPP here before 2018, he pointed out. ―PPP leaders believed they would always have Lyari, but their calculation was wrong,‖ he added. ―PPP has learnt a lesson but I think Lyari needs more time and attention now. You [political leaders] cannot deceive the voters.‖

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The activist noted that despite PTI‘s shock triumph in Lyari in the polls, it had failed to deliver for the residents. ―We have not seen any of them here since the general elections.‖ PTI to deliver – soon PTI MNA Shakoor Shad said that his party was not in competition with the PPP, adding that he would be pleased if someone was really thinking about the people of Lyari. Shad, who has been criticised by his voters in the area, disclosed that different development projects, worth Rs400 million, were in the pipeline. ―I do care about my voters and will soon launch projects for them,‖ he insisted. Sharing details, he said that the existing gas pipelines had been constructed during the tenure of former prime minister Zulf ikar Ali Bhutto. ―We are going to replace them and build two more pedestrian bridges on Mauripur Road,‖ he added. Special directives Sindh Minister for Information, Archives and Labour Saeed Ghani confirmed that all 12 main roads in Lyari were being repaired and carpeted for the first time. However, he denied that his party had ignored Lyari when in power, saying that they had sanctioned a number of development schemes in all previous PPP governments. Speaking to The Express Tribune, he said that provincial government had been directed by PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to focus on Lyari with these projects. He disclosed that Lyari‘s sewerage problems would be resolved soon too, while Jamila Pumping Station, constructed before Partition, would be reconstructed. For Ghani, the biggest issue being faced by Lyari‘s people was the lack of potable water. He said that the main water line from Gulshan-e-Iqbal was being replaced by an over-the-ground line, in order to resolve the problem as well as discourage illegal connections. (By Sameer Mandhro The Express Tribune, 04, 14/01/2020)

Sindh to set up urban, regional master plan authority soon: official

The Sindh government will soon establish a Sindh Urban and Regional Master Plan Authority as a draft of the proposed authority has been sent to the law department for vetting, officials said on Tuesday. Soon after vetting, they added, the draft would be submitted to the cabinet for approval before formally being made into law by the Sindh Assembly. This was discussed at a meeting, presided over by Sindh Chief Secretary Mumtaz Ali Shah, at his office where officials of the local government and planning and development ministries gave detailed presentations on the proposed project. The meeting was informed that legislation was required to establish the Sindh Urban and Regional Master Plan Authority separately from the Sindh Building Control Authority. The chief secretary asked LG Secretary Roshan Ali Sheikh to submit the draft plan to the cabinet without delay. Officials said the main idea behind establishing a separate authority was to take care of the increasing urban façade of Sindh by introducing modern methods to manage cities and towns. They said being the largest city of the country, Karachi would be the most preferred such place in the new scheme of things. However, given the fact that more than half of the province‘s population had turned urban, as the recent census figures showed, developing its other cities and towns on modern methods being employed elsewhere in the world was imperative. Officials said the draft for the authority had been made painstakingly by accommodating suggestions and recommendations by experts in the field. However, it could further be amended in the light of the debate in the cabinet meeting, where it would be presented for approval. Besides, the provincial legislature could even fine tune it further if the initial draft was recommended to a standing committee for detailed consideration before it was formally presented in the house for adoption. Dangerous buildings The meeting also reviewed the recent incidents in which buildings collapsed in Karachi and Sukkur. Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shallwani told the meeting that people used to get no-objection certificates for constructing ground-plus-one structures, but it was normal that they would put up much taller structures than the officially approved plans. Zaffar Abbas, director general of the Sindh Building Control Authority, informed the meeting that the building that recently collapsed in Karachi‘s Timber Market area was already declared dangerous by the SBCA. But, instead of vacating it, residents continued to live in the unsafe structure. Mr Abbas said currently there were 382 dangerous buildings in the Old City area for which public had duly been informed through advertisements.

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Chief Secretary Shah asked the SBCA chief to submit a detailed report about those 382 dangerous buildings and also initiate action under the law against the builders who were constructing illegal structures. The CS constituted a committee headed by the city commissioner for preparing a rehabilitation plan for the residents of the dangerous buildings. (By Hassan Mansoor Dawn, 15, 15/01/2020)

Tycoon Malik Riaz booked in Rs100bn land scam

The National Accountability Bureau on Wednesday filed a reference against real estate tycoon Malik Riaz and many others for illegal allotment of an amenity plot in Karachi‘s Clifton area where the Bahria Town built Pakistan‘s tallest building, Bahria Icon Tower. The reference is said to be an offshoot of the fake accounts case against former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and his sister Faryal Talpur. It is also a first reference in which Malik Riaz, the chairman of the Bahria Town, is nominated. NAB also nominated his son-in-law Zain Malik as one of the suspects. Other suspects are former Pakistan Peoples Party Senator Yousaf Baloch, former adviser to Sindh chief minister Dr Dinshaw Anklesaria, former Sindh chief secretary Abdul Subhan Memon, former director general-parks Liaquat Qaimkhani, Waqas Raffat, Ghulam Arif, Khawaja Shafique, Jamil Baloch, Afzal Aziz, Syed Mohammad Shah, Khurram Arif, Abdul Karim Paleejo, Khawaja Badee uz Zaman and others. Contrary to its past practice, NAB — which is otherwise very prompt when issuing a press release even in the stages of inquiry and investigation mainly against opposition leaders — this time did not issue any statement or share any detail about the reference with the media. However, the reference that NAB filed before the registrar of the accountability court stated that the accused persons caused a loss of over Rs100 billion to the national exchequer through illegal allotment of an amenity plot related to Bagh Ibne Qasim, where Bahria Town constructed its Icon Tower. NAB alleges Bahria Town built Pakistan’s tallest building on Karachi’s Bagh Ibne Qasim land The skyscraper is located near the coast of the Arabian Sea in Karachi and it includes 62 storeys with 40-storey mixed-used buildings. After scrutiny, the registrar office will forward the reference to the administrative judge of the accountability courts, Mohammad Bashir. Last year, former Sindh works and services secretary Sajjad Abbasi, who was arrested in June 2019 for his alleged involvement in the Icon Tower case, became an approver. In a statement to the court, he said that he sold an amenity plot to Dr Anklesaria while he was working as the executive district officer-revenue. He claimed that Dr Anklesaria then sold that plot to Malik Riaz, who constructed the Bahria Icon Tower there. It may be mentioned that during a hearing of the post-arrest bail of Ms Talpur in the fake accounts case, Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah asked the investigation officer of the case as to why those who were involved in Rs750 million transactions through fake accounts were never arrested. The IO said that the Bahria Town chairman was on top of the list and NAB was trying to trace his and other suspects‘ whereabouts. Expressing his displeasure over the lethargy of NAB, the CJ observed, ―This is how NAB exercises power to arrest people [...] NAB does not have unfettered power of arrest.‖ Later, the court granted bail to Ms Talpur. It may be recalled here that former Karachi mayor and Pak Sarzameen Party chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal and others are also facing a NAB reference regarding alleged illegal allotment of around 5,500 square yards of commercial land to Bahria Town for a multi-storey building. When contacted, senior Bahria Town official retired Col Khalil claimed that the real estate firm had purchased the land in a transparent manner. He said that the case did not belong to the fake accounts case since all the payments regarding purchase of the land were made through cheques from genuine and verified accounts. (By Malik Asad Dawn, 01, 16/01/2020)

Thousands cheated in the name of PAF housing scheme, court told

An accountability court was informed on Wednesday that the Fazaia Housing Scheme was launched in the name of martyrs‘ families and war heroes but only 30 units were allotted to the families of shuhada.

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On Wednesday, investigating officer Aslam Pervez Abro submitted a progress report in court with regard to the Rs13 billion Fazaia Housing Scheme case. Two builders, Tanveer Ahmed and Bilal Tanveer, have been arrested and are currently in NAB custody for allegedly depriving the public of Rs13bn through investments in the scheme. Both the suspects were produced before the administrative judge of the accountability courts, Judge Farid Anwar Qazi, and the IO sought extension in their physical custody for further interrogation and investigation. The IO‘s progress report stated that during the course of interrogation further evidence had come on record that both the suspects were involved in cheating public at large in connivance with officers/officials of the PAF. The judge extends the physical remand of held suspects for 14 more days During the course of investigation, the report said, it also surfaced that the PAF started this project in the name of rehabilitation of war heroes and martyrs‘ families, but the record showed that out of 8,400 planned housing units, only 30 units had been allotted to the families of shuhada, which negated the very purpose of this housing scheme. It added that during scrutiny of the record it emerged that the detained builders in active connivance with PAF officials collected Rs18,208,247,781 in the head of form fees, registration, open certificate, standard and luxury apartments, surcharge, transfer fees, overseas apartments, overseas transfer fee, bungalows, the surcharge, transfer and proceedings fee for the bungalows and direct deposits. The report stated that both the builders collected a handsome amount of Rs18,208,247,781 from 5,732 individuals, adding that the figure did not include the PAF personnel, who were lured into purchasing housing units by the PAF officials within their own department. In execution and launching of the scheme, the suspects blatantly flouted the relevant laws and carried out its advertisement, sale, development and booking without getting approval of its layout plan from the Malir Development Authority (MDA) and no-objection certificate from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), it stated. It added that the suspects got the land of the project illegally consolidated/adjusted/exchanged with the MDA through a letter dated June 19, 2015 which was subsequently cancelled by the MDA on July 7, 2015, yet they illegally occupied the government land by erecting boundary wall around the project site and carried out the construction work. The report mentioned that the record received from the deputy commissioner further showed that some of the survey numbers of the land transferred by suspect Ahmed in favour of the PAF fell within the planned land for requisition by the government for the K-IV project, thus scrutiny of the land record was under way to determine further land/survey numbers felling within the K-IV project. The IO informed the court that neither the suspects obtained approval/NOC from the SBCA nor did they got the project excluded from the provisions of the Sindh Building Control Ordinance, 1979 by the provincial government despite the fact that the SBCA had reported that it advised the Fazaia Housing Scheme management several times to get an approval/NOC in respect of the project under the law. Furthermore, the SBCA also issued a show-cause notice on reports of unauthorised construction and sale activities on Jan 8, it added. ―The record collected from the Chief Minister House shows that the officials of the PAF had applied to the chief minister for excluding all operations of SBCO-1979 from the Fazaia housing scheme,‖ the report said, adding: ―The CM‘s principal secretary replied on Jan 10, 2017 that the CM vide a summary dated Jan 10, 2017 had allowed the concessions only for allotment of residential accommodation to the heirs of the Shuhada [martyrs] only.‖ The special prosecutor, Shahbaz Sahotra, informed the judge that the suspects claimed to have refunded Rs2,151,51,333 to 4,500 allottees, which was required to be verified, while the suspects also claimed to have spent Rs2.2bn on the project‘s development and construction. He said besides scrutiny of the bills, it was also to be verified through physical inspection of the project‘s site with the assistance of technical experts, while the suspects also allegedly withdrew Rs2.3bn from the bank accounts in connivance with the PAF officials, which needed to be verified. The prosecutor said that the scrutiny of around five bank accounts of the scheme showed the balance amount of Rs13,243,855,399 belonging to those affected by this scam. The report mentioned that notices had been issued to the Arch Vision Plus and Consultant groups, which provided conceptual and architectural plans of the project to ascertain exact number of housing units, adding that notices were also issued to the ministry of defence to explain whether it granted permission for launching the scheme for sale to the general public. It stated that notices were also issued to the project director, who is a PAF officer, for providing complete record of the scheme while notices were also issued to the senior PAF officials to join the inquiry so that their role in this fraud could also be examined, as they are signatory of the agreement with the detained builders.

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―The record received from PAF officials and Maxim Properties is to be examined and confronted to the arrested accused to check the veracity of Rs2,151,551,333 refunded to the 4,500 affectees, verify expenditure of Rs2.2 billion on the project site in addition to the contribution of the accused PAF officials,‖ the report said. The prosecutor pleaded with the judge to extend remand of the suspects in the custody of NAB for 14 days in order to enable the IO to analyse and check hundreds of thousands of bank transactions on account of payment of instalments by the affected persons and probe other aspects and determine the role of the officials nominated in the present case. On the other hand, defence counsel Ravi Panjani opposed the plea for extension in remand of his clients in NAB custody and pleaded to remand them in judicial custody. Allowing the NAB request, the judge extended their physical remand for two weeks directing the IO to produce them on the next date along with a progress report. (By Naeem Sahoutara, Dawn, 15, 16/01/2020)

Court wants two builders absconding in land scam case traced

An accountability court on Friday directed the investigating officer to collect evidence regarding whereabouts of two builders, who were absconding in a case pertaining to alleged illegal amalgamation of prime commercial land and its transfer to Bahria Town for a high-rise building. Former Karachi mayor and Pak Sarzameen Party chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal, former district coordination officer of Karachi Fazlur Rehman, executive district officer Iftikhar Kaimkhani and four others are facing trial in the case. On Friday, the matter came up before the administrative judge Farid Anwar Qazi, when the former mayor and others appeared before the court on bail. However, two nominated suspects, Zain Malik, son-in-law of real estate tycoon Malik Riaz, and Mohammad Yaqoob, associated with M/s DJ Builders and Developers, were no-shows. IO Abdul Fateh filed a compliance report regarding execution of the non-bailable warrants issued by the court on the last date for arrest of both the builders. The report mentioned that Zain Malik was said to be under treatment in London while M. Yaqoob was also abroad, therefore, the arrest warrants could not be served on them. The judge directed the IO to collect travel history of both the absconding suspects and record statement of their neighbours regarding whereabouts of both men so that the process of their proclamation and attachment of properties, under sections 87 and 88 of the Criminal Procedure Code, could be initiated to bifurcate their cases from the main case and initiate trial against other suspects. The hearing was adjourned till Feb 12. Whereabouts of absconders sought The same court, meanwhile, also directed an IO to collect evidence regarding whereabouts of two suspects absconding in an alleged Rs2.27 billion assets accumulation case against the former provincial information minister Sharjeel Memon. Memon, a former Pakistan Peoples Party minister, his mother Zeenat Inam Memon, wife Sadaf Sharjeel along with nine others have been booked in a second reference of alleged accumulation of assets worth over Rs2.27bn beyond their known sources of income. On Friday, the matter came up before the administrative judge Farid Anwar Qazi, who directed the NAB IO Mohammad Umair to collect travel history and record statement of neighbours of both fleeing men — Saifullah Lohar and Kamran Gul — to complete the process of their proclamation and attachment of properties under sections 87 and 88 of the CrPC to bifurcate their case and initiate trial against other suspects in the present case. The hearing was adjourned till Jan 30. MQm leader’s case An antiterrorism court on Friday summoned prosecution witnesses in a case pertaining to alleged assassination bid on Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Khawaja Izharul Hassan. The Counter-Terrorism Department booked seven absconding suspects — including Abdul Karim Sarosh Siddiqui, Hafiz Mohammad Shoaib Jamal, alias Amir; Mohammad Arsalan, alias Jumran; Hafiz Sheharyar Uddin, alias Sherry; Danish Rashid, alias Mansoor; Mohammad Talha and Muzzamil — said to be associated with the banned outfit Ansarul Shariah Pakistan for their alleged involvement in the armed attack on the MQM leader. Mr Hasan remained unhurt while his police guard and a teenage boy were killed when the assailants clad in police uniforms opened fire after the former emerged from a mosque after offering Eid prayers in Sept 2017.

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On Friday, the matter came up before the ATC-XI judge when the state prosecutor produced a prosecution witness to record his statement. The witness, who was the investigating officer of the case, appeared along with relevant documents and other material evidence. After recording his testimony, the judge fixed the matter for Jan 24 directing the IO to produce other prosecution witnesses in the present case and adjourned the hearing. It may be recalled that in the charge sheet, the IO had declared eight nominated suspects as absconders. The CTD claimed that suspect Abdul Karim Sarosh Siddiqui, who was said to be a former student of the applied physics department at University of Karachi, had allegedly masterminded the assassination attempt on the MQM leader. It added that another suspect, later identified as Hassaan, was said to be a lab technician in the Dawood University of Engineering and Technology (DUET), who was later killed in an alleged shoot-out. (By Newspaper‘s Staff Reporters Dawn, 16, 18/01/2020)

Demo held against Bahria Town 'injustices'

A number of allottees of Bahria Town Karachi held a protest demonstration against ‗injustices‘ meted out to them, it emerged on Sunday. Around 150-200 allottess staged a sit-in at the main office of BTK located along the Superhighway (now Motorway-9) on Saturday evening, said Gadap City SHO Waqar Faridi. The officer said the protesters claimed that they had paid up to Rs4 million six or seven years back and were not being given possession of their properties. Instead, BTK was allegedly demanding up to Rs3 million more under the pretext of various charges, said the officer. No untoward incident occurred and the protesters dispersed peacefully. ―BTK should announce in writing and such an announcement should be made in the media that they would no longer impose 35pc development charges,‖ said a press release distributed by the protesters on this occasion. They also demanded that no plot be cancelled or changed because allotees had already made full and final payment and possession should be given with the provision of facilities of mosque, market, parks etc and no further increase be made in any type of charges. The allottees also demanded that those who wanted 100pc refund, they should be given such refund within 15 days and allottees of the plots should be given lands ‗within old BTK, clear from any problem‘. They also urged BTK to chalk out a clear policy regarding Bahria Heights and other incomplete homes and flats. ―Till the provision of all facilities, construction of homes and granting of possession, monthly maintenance charges should not be taken,‖ according to a charter of demands of the allottees. Only 10pc should be received for corner plots of Golf City as was enshrined in all booking forms of the project when it was launched. The allottees of plots were facing problems in construction of homes as the Sindh Building Control Authority and the ‗planning department‘ were harassing them. The protesters also demanded that BTK should receive electricity charges as per K-Electric tariff. (By Newspaper‘s Staff Reporter Dawn, 14, 20/01/2020)

Night-time is particularly harsh for people living under an open sky’

Almost two days after the Teen Hatti shanty town inferno, there are volunteers and NGOs setting up camps at the place to extend

help to the affected people. Big and small pickup trucks with free clothes, quilts, biryani, biscuit and potato crisp packets, cooking oil, flour, juice boxes and water bottles pull up as the volunteers in them distribute the stuff. The poor people struggle to get ahead in line. They climb over one another. Some also chase the vehicles. "Maybe we will also be pushing and pulling one another like this, desperate for bare necessities if we were in the same situation,"

said Shakeel Ahmed, a volunteer in a camp set up by a private hospital, while speaking to Dawn on Thursday. "We set up camp

here soon after the fire and we can‘t even begin to describe the scenes we have witnessed. The people have been in need of warm clothes, slippers and shoes, first aid, medicines for small ailments such as colds and diarrhoea and conditions such as asthma in this harsh weather. Night-time is particularity harsh for people living under the open sky," he said.

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There were also two babies delivered right there during the fire. The children and their mothers are in distressing condition. Mariam Tahir, another volunteer at the camp, said: "One baby needed immediate medical help. He was dehydrated and we had to rush him to the National Institute of Child Health to save his life. They had to admit him," she said. When asked about the baby‘s mother, Leela, an old woman whose home was also burnt in the fire, said she had been taken in by some relatives living in another shanty town of the city. But she said the other mother and baby were still there at Teen Hatti facing their fate. "Ram Gori doesn‘t even have proper clothes to wrap her baby," she said before leading this writer to the newborn and his mother who were sitting in the open. Volunteers distribute relief goods to Teen Hatti fire victims The mother, too weak to go and fight for the food and clothes being distributed by volunteers, watched everyone with crazed eyes. She was grateful for whatever her neighbours brought her. ―Please pray for us,‖ she requested before thanking them all. Another old woman was crying and cursing everyone loudly. "Just because I am old, I was pushed back by the younger lot. And by the time I was able to go ahead the biryani had finished. I only got this," the poor woman, a widow named Mala, said showing us a small packet of potato crisps. "We are fighting to snatch food from the volunteers before it is all finished to keep ourselves alive. It is day to day survival for us now," she said. A print media reporter with a notebook was trying to speak to the affectees about the issues they were facing. Soon she found herself surrounded by hoards demanding she write all their names because they thought that she was also from some organisation that would help them. Many women tried giving her photocopies of their CNICs. "We have lived here all our lives. See the address on our CNICs. Where do we go now? What do we do? The fire burnt down everything that we owned," one of them cried. Then another pickup with sweaters and jackets pulled up nearby and the women raced in its direction leaving the journalist alone. The affectees are also finding it very difficult to get back on their feet. "I sell flowers for a living. I used to sell red roses at signals, but I have not been able to work since the fire," said Anita Marwar. "My entire family of 10 people are sitting under the open sky in this cold weather. None of us have been able to get back to work," she added. "We are being given food and warm clothes, medicines too. But what we really need right now is a roof over our heads," said Kamran Mahmood, a young man watching the others and bringing them whatever he could lay his hands on at the volunteer camps. "All these food packets are fine for now but unless we have our huts again we don‘t have a place to keep our belongings, or leave our children while we go out to earn our living. The fire has left us with nothing, no clothes, no pots and pans for cooking and no plates and utensils," he added. "It gets so cold in the evenings. We wish some volunteers would bring us some dried wood, too, for burning to keep ourselves warm in the open air," he said. (By Shazia Hasan Dawn, 15, 24/01/2020)

PAF offers NAB help to redress grievances of 5700 victims of housing scam

An accountability court was informed on Tuesday that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had offered the National Accountability Bureau to help redress grievances of over 5,700 people allegedly cheated of billions of rupees in the name of the Fazaia Housing Scheme. On Tuesday, investigating officer Aslam Pervez Abro submitted a progress report in court with regard to the alleged Rs13 billion Fazaia Housing Scheme case. Two builders, Tanveer Ahmed and Bilal Tanveer, have been arrested and are currently in NAB custody for allegedly depriving the public of Rs13bn through investments in the scheme. Both the suspects were produced before the administrative judge of the accountability courts, Judge Farid Anwar Qazi, and the IO sought extension in their physical custody for further investigation. The IO submitted a progress report through special public prosecutor Shahbaz Sahotra stating that during the interrogation further evidence had come on record that both the suspects were involved in cheating public at large in connivance with officers/officials of the PAF. He mentioned that the PAF had submitted an application to the federal anti-graft watchdog offering to help get the grievances of the victims of the scam redressed by the detained builders. The application is currently with the bureau‘s prosecution department for its legal vetting, IO Abro mentioned in the report. The report added that the suspects had unlawfully taken over/encroached upon around 180 acres of government land earmarked for the K-IV project meant to supply additional water to the metropolis.

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The report also mentioned that around 36 more joint bank accounts of the suspects had been detected, which were required to trace the money trail. Therefore, the prosecutor requested the court to extend the physical remand of the held suspects in NAB custody. The judge extended their remand till Feb 6 with the direction that they be produced before the court on the next date with the progress report. In the last hearing, the IO stated in a progress report that during the investigation it had surfaced that the PAF started this project in the name of rehabilitation of war heroes and martyrs‘ families, but the record showed that of the 8,400 planned housing units, only 30 units were allotted to the families of shuhada, which negated the very purpose of the housing scheme. It added that during scrutiny of the record it emerged that the detained builders in active connivance with PAF officials collected Rs18,208,247,781 in various heads. The report stated that both the builders collected the huge amount from 5,732 individuals, adding that the figure did not include the PAF personnel who were lured into purchasing housing units within their own department. In execution and launching of the scheme, the suspects blatantly flouted the relevant laws and carried out its advertisement, sale, development and booking without getting approval of its layout plan from the Malir Development Authority (MDA) and no-objection certificate from the Sindh Building Control Authority, it stated. (By Naseem Sahoutara Dawn, 15, 29/01/2020)

JI-led sit-in held against Bahria Town

A large number of people who booked properties in Bahria Town Karachi (BTK) staged a protest sit-in outside the company‘s office on Tariq Road on Friday demanding justice and ―true utilisation‖ of their hard-earned money. The protest was organised by the Jamaat-i-Islami, which launched a campaign against Bahria Town and announced that it would hold a protest demonstration outside the CM House on Feb 9. The protesters, including women and children, were holding placards and chanting slogans against the real estate giant.

They asked the federal and provincial authorities to play their due role to resolve the issues, which had put the huge investment of middle and upper-middle class at stake. Addressing the protesters, JI‘s city chief Hafiz Naeemur Rahman questioned the claims of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government that it won the election on the slogans of its anti-corruption narrative. He said Prime Minister Imran Khan had never said a single word against Bahria Town‘s malpractices and real estate tycoon Malik Riaz. ―This is an organised fraud where the allottees are not being given possession of their properties while those who have been promised refund are denied payments,‖ he said. ―Those who have become qualified to get possession of their plots after all payments are now being asked to pay an additional over 30 per cent amount. This is against the actual contract of the deal. But the biggest mystery is that you would not find the state and its institutions bothered. A company is behaving like a state within the state and no one dares to question it,‖ he said. He said the people of this country were more worried about the fast vanishing role of the state in such times as they had nowhere to go for their grievances and anyone who designed a ―smart scheme‖ to extort money from the citizens of this country could easily do that with strong connections. ―The people are left with no choice but to take to the streets,‖ he said. ―Our protest is against Bahria Town for its exploitation but at the same time we are protesting against the government of Pakistan and the government of Sindh for remaining absent from the scene. ―We are here to ask Malik Riaz to resolve the issue of thousands of people. Otherwise, in the next phase we will put pressure on the authorities to take action. If the matter is not resolved, we would hold a sit-in outside the CM House on Feb 9.‖ (By Imran Ayub Dawn, 15, 01/02/2020)

Commissioner orders restoration of historic sites A meeting discussing the preservation of the archaeological and heritage sites decided once again to stop the damage, alteration and demolition of these buildings in Hyderabad on Monday. The buildings in questions included the Sindh University Old Campus, KP Azeem Khan Building, Basant Hall, Pakka Qila, Jamia Arabia High School, Neval Rai High School, Thora Charhi Girls School, Sindh Government Law College, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences building, Ganga Ram Building, Mukhee House and Market Tower.

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―The restoration of these buildings will not only add to the beauty of the historic city but will also attract tourists,‖ said Hyderabad commissioner Abbas Baloch, in a bid to create a sense of responsibility among concerned officials and archaeology departments. He maintained that these historic sites are the identity of any nation and therefore repairing, maintaining and restoring them is a national duty and responsibility. Additionally, he has asked assistant commissioner Ayesha Abro to play her role in this process by rehabilitating the historic Ladies Club and begin utilising the space for the purpose for which it was established. Along with this, Baloch instructed those present at the meeting to ensure that banners around these historic sites be removed at the earliest possibility. Furthermore , he has asked the Sindh culture department to inform private owners of historic buildings and heritage sites about the laws that prohibit the demolition and destruction of such structures. Meanwhile, Dr Nilofar Sheikh, former vice-chancellor representing the Sindh Endowment Fund, informed the meeting that the repair and maintenance process is a highly technical job for which the participation of experts is necessary. She added that there are hundreds of pre-partition buildings in downtown Hyderabad and among these many have been demolished while others are in a state of decay. On June 7, 2017, the Sindh High Court had ordered the protection and restoration, and banned the commercial use of 67 declared heritage buildings in Hyderabad, stating that, ―the commissioner shall ensure that all properties declared as heritage in the May 20, 2011, notification are protected within the spirit of the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act, 1994.‖ However, the order has not been complied with even after the passage of over two and a half years. (By Newspaper‘s Staff Reporter The Express Tribune, 05, 04/02/2020)

Karachi land mafia THIS refers to some groups of land mafia which is busy in acquiring vacant plots of land earmarked for family parks or playgrounds in many parts of Karachi. In all such cases, members of this mafia come in large vehicles with gunmen and start construction work first by putting a boundary wall, followed by ‗China cutting‘ of plots in different sizes. They are involved in this activity because they have connections in Karachi Development Authority and the Sindh Building Control Authority, besides the support of the police force and occupy amenity plots of land by showing forged document. In a recent move, they have tried to acquire a playground near Omar Farooq Mosque of Sector 11-A, North Karachi. This open ground is being used by area residents for playing football or cricket match and Eid congregation. But now this land is being grabbed by land mafia. They are also trying to take over some of other land like the one situated in the same sector near Little Flower School, which is actually earmarked for a family park. The area residents have approached the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation several times, requesting it to develop this land as a family park but nothing has been done so far, leaving it as another opportunity for landgrabbers. I urge the authorities concerned to get these lands vacated by the land mafia and ensure no amenity plot is occupied illegally by anyone. Muhammad Ayub Karachi (From the Newspaper Dawn, 01, 04/02/2020)

Rangers, police help sought to retrieve Gutter Baghicha land from grabbers

The municipal administration is learnt to have sought help of the Rangers and Sindh police for retrieving the illegally occupied land of the sewerage farm, better known as Gutter Baghicha. Sources in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation told Dawn on Tuesday that a group of heavily armed land grabbers had recently

occupied 200 acres of the KMC Officers Housing Society and 162 acres of the park on the sewerage farm and the police were not taking any action against the illegal occupants despite registration of an FIR against them. They said gun-toting land grabbers stormed the office of the KMC Officers Housing Society on Dec 26 last year, beat up the watchmen and occupied the land of the housing society and the adjacent 162 acres meant for establishing a model city park. The sources said that the KMC authorities immediately approached the Pak Colony police but to no avail as they initially refused to register an FIR against the suspects. They said the FIR was registered only after the KMC authorities approached the Karachi commissioner. Suspects have occupied 200 acres of the KMC Officers Housing Society and 162 acres of the park on the sewerage farm

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They said Mayor Wasim Akhtar on Tuesday held a meeting with senior KMC officers and decided to immediately inform the Rangers and police high-ups about the land grabbing. The meeting was attended among others by senior director of anti-encroachment Bashir Siddiqui.

While talking to Dawn, the mayor expressed grave concern over the silence and inaction of the police and district administration on the illegal occupation of the Gutter Baghicha land. He said the municipal administration was taking action against encroachments on official land across the city. The mayor said the KMC was seeking assistance from the Rangers and police for evicting the armed illegal occupants. The sources said that the entire land of the Gutter Baghicha, spread over 1,106 acres, had been encroached upon. They said the land was allotted to the KMC in 1860 under the approval of the viceroy of India and 200 acres of it were allocated for the KMC Officers Housing Society and 162 acres for a park in 1992. However the matter was delayed owing to a case filed by some non-governmental organisations in court. Its appellation of ‗gutter‘ originates from storm-drainage channels of the Lyari River, which later also carried the sewage from the adjoining areas to the place, then used for growing cereals, green fodder and vegetables. Located near the city centre, the amenity plot, described in the documents as a ―sewage farm‖, has been allowed by successive city administrations to be progressively encroached upon for katchi abadis, marble workshops, industrial units and dumping of garbage and filth from different towns of the city. In numerous government maps and documents over the past 100 years the Baghicha has been shown as ‗Municipal Garden‘ and the KMC budget documents of as late as 1993-94 show the income from Gutter Baghicha Park. Mayor visits zoo Mayor Wasim Akhtar visited the Karachi Zoo on Tuesday with Metropolitan Commissioner Dr Syed Saif-ur-Rehman and others to review the training session held in the zoo for its staff. Zoo director Kanwar Ayub gave a detailed briefing on the training programme that has been arranged to provide them with latest information and techniques on the management of a zoological garden. The mayor expressed his satisfaction on the training programme and said that this would help the zoo staff perform their duty in a professional way. He said the KMC was taking all measures to improve the facilities for visitors in the zoo. (By Tahir Siddiqui Dawn, 15, 05/02/2020)

Plea against high-rise construction without EIA approval admitted

An environmental tribunal has admitted a complaint against issuance of a no-objection certificate (NOC) by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) for construction of a multistorey residential-cum-commercial project in KDA Scheme 33 allegedly in violation of environmental laws. The three-member tribunal, headed by its chairman retired Justice Sadiq Hussain Bhatti, also issued a notice to the complainant, Dr Syed Raza Ali Gardezi, to appear before it to record his statement under Section 200 of the Criminal Procedure Code on Feb 11. Mr Gardezi, the general secretary of Citizens for Environment, had filed a criminal complaint against Sepa‘s former director general Baqaullah Unnar, incumbent DG Naeem Ahmed Mughal and others. He also impleaded Mohammad Sami Qureshi, the owner of M/s Sami Builders, the proponent of the Shaz Residency project, and Asad Jahangir, the chief executive officer of M/s Marina Consultancy, as respondents. The tribunal will take up the case on Feb 11 The complainant submitted through his counsel Farhat Ullah Rasheed that the then Sepa DG had granted the Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) approval in respect of Shaz Residency, a commercial-cum-residential project on a two-acre plot in Sector 15-A, Scheme 33. He further submitted that the then DG granted the IEE approval for the project on Feb 22, 2018 without a public hearing on the impact of the project and without consultation of the relevant department. The counsel stated that the action was in contravention of the provisions of the Sindh Environmental Protection Act, 2014 since any project proposed to be built on a piece of land measuring less than 2,000 square yards required the IEE approval from Sepa.

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However, the Shaz Residency project comprising ground-plus 10 floors had been planned and launched on the piece of land measuring 9,600 square yards, which required an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval under the law, instead of the IEE, which was allegedly deliberately not done by the respondents, he added. He said that the IEE approval granted for the project had been kept inaccessible by Sepa authorities for the general public since it was not being uploaded on the agency‘s official website in violation of the relevant provisions of the act and Article 19-A of the Constitution as well as provisions of the Right to Information Act. It was informed that the complainant on Jan 1, 2019 moved an application under the Right to Information Act requesting Sepa DG Mughal to share information as to how the approval for the project was granted under the IEE, whereas it required approval under the EIA, but he did not respond. Subsequently, the complainant sent a notice to Sepa DG asking him to issue an Environmental Protection Order in terms of Section 21 of the act to order the builder to immediately halt the construction work at the site and impose penalties on the offender under Section 22 of the act, the counsel informed. However, he complained that no legal action had been taken by the Sepa DG against the project and no inquiry was ordered against the officers involved in issuance of the IEE approval in violation of the law till date. The court was asked to order the Sepa chief to cancel the IEE approval of the project after scrutinizing its record afresh. It was also requested to order an inquiry against Sepa officials allegedly involved in the issuance of such IEE approval. (By Newspaper‘s Staff Reporter Dawn, 14, 06/02/2020)

Supreme Court orders removal of SBCA DG In court proceedings pertaining to encroachment cases on Thursday, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed ordered the immediate removal of Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) director-general Zafar Ahsan, as well as all corrupt officers. Hearing a case pertaining to illegal constructions on Sharae Faisal, Sharae Quaideen and in Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society (SMCHS) at the Supreme Court‘s Karachi Registry, the bench, headed by the CJP and comprising Justices Faisal Arab and Sajjad Ali Shah, ordered the Sindh chief secretary to take additional charge as the SBCA DG. ―It is a common impression that the SBCA takes money for construction and its officials are involved in such construction,‖ observed Justice Gulzar, adding that china-cutting of plots had been carried out in SMCHS and all the land on Kashmir Road. Members of the Board of Revenue told the court that the land had been allotted to others by SMCHS. ―What would you do if someone allotted the entirety of Sharae Faisal?‖ demanded the CJP. ―Here, letters are issued to allot a ll types of land.‖ When he expressed displeasure at construction on a nullah in SMCHS, Ahsan told the court that the building had been constructed on ‗extra land.‘ Justice Gulzar pointed out that this was china-cutting, adding that the situation in SMCHS and PECHS was beyond any understanding. Claiming that Ahsan himself was involved in such activities, he said that the SBCA turned its eyes away from illegal high-rise construction on small plots for a bribe of Rs600,000 per floor. Instructed Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to immediately remove Ahsan from his position, the court further ordered him to expel all corrupt and incompetent officials. The bench further told the chief secretary to restructure SBCA an.d take over it s charge until a new DG could be appointed. The court also directed authorities to immediately remove petrol pumps and other encroachments on the Sharae Quaideen nullah. Functional LG bodies In another case, the CJP asked CM Shah to tell the court in writing why he was not allowing the local government bodies to become fully functional. Hearing a case pertaining to encroachments, the court declared the transfer of land adjacent to Aladin Park to a private individual as illegal, and cancelled its lease. ―How can government land be granted without auction?‖ admonished the CJP. The bench further added the Karachi commissioner to immediately demolish the structure on the land and hand the plot over to the relevant department. Lambasting the authorities over the state of the metropolis, Justice Gulzar said, ―This is not a village, this is Karachi, once known as the jewel of Pakistan. It was exploited for the sake of vested interests, the parks and cemeteries have disappeared, and t he city has been ruined.‖

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He asked the chief secretary why the local government bodies here were not functional, wondering how the Sindh government was dealing with them. The chief secretary responded that the provincial government had given most of the powers to Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar, adding that the mayor‘s claims of being powerless were false. Illegal encroachment Hearing a case pertaining to illegal occupancy at Kidney Hill Park, the Supreme Court gave orders for the removal of encroachments on 7.5 acres of land. Karachi commissioner Iftikhar Shalwani told the court that all illegal occupancy had been ended, but the CJP pointed out that it was untrue. ―Mr Commissioner, isn‘t your residence included [in the illegal occupancy]?‖ he asked. ―All illegal encroachments will be demolished,‖ he instructed. In a separate case, the bench ordered the mayor to remove encroachments at Bagh Ibn Qasim within two weeks and restore the park to its original state. Akhtar told the court that the illegally constructed building had been demolished, but there were iron rods at the site and t he builders had taken a stay order pertaining to the rods‘ ownership. Justice Gulzar told him to take the rods and vacate the land, upon which Akhtar said that if the land was vacated, someone else would take it. ―If you are so helpless, why do you contest elections and why do you need to become mayor?‖ the CJP lashed out. The bench also expressed annoyance at the construction of a building at Benazir Bhutto Park in another case, issuing a notice to the building‘s owner. Sea Breeze Plaza The same bench ordered the Karachi Cantonment Board to submit a response within two weeks regarding the report by National Engineering Services Pakistan and Pakistan Engineering Council on the potential demolition of Sea Breeze Plaza. Pointing out that the building had stood empty for decades and it was in poor condition, Justice Gulzar told Akhtar he should be concerned about the matter. ―I am concerned; I do not know how many such buildings there are,‖ replied the mayor. Reviewing the report, the CJP said he could no longer order the building to be maintained. Directing the Karachi Cantonment Board to submit a comprehensive response to the report in two weeks, the court said it should be made clear whether the building is to be demolished or not. (By Nasir Butt The Express Tribune, 04, 07/02/2020)

SBCA in the dock

The Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Gulzar Ahmed, has regularly been taking officials to task for their lackadaisical performance in improving civic affairs in the country and Sindh province, especially Karachi. This gives us hope. Yesterday, he reprimanded officials for the state of Karachi‘s infrastructure while hearing a case pertaining to removal of encroachments. A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, comprising the Chief Justice, Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, had taken up miscellaneous petitions in the SC‘s Karachi registry. The court ordered the removal of the director general of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and expelled another official of the SBCA from the courtroom for allowing illegal expansion of buildings. In its order, the court said an ‗honest officer‘ should be appointed as director general of the SBCA. It asked the Sindh chief secretary to look into the matter and take legal action against officials found involved in corruption. ―This department of yours [SBCA] is very corrupt,‖ the court said to t he provincial advocate general. In Karachi, entire parks, graveyards and residential plots had vanished — something that the Chief Justice also pointed out. ―Unauthorised portions are being built after openly taking bribes, in every street, every block of Nazimabad. This is total destruction of the city of Karachi,‖ the top judge remarked. He ordered the removal of petrol pumps and other structures built over drains. Allowing structures, especially petrol pumps, over drains is an act of utter neglect. Gas formation takes place inside drains that can cause explosion endangering lives. Some years ago, explosions had taken place in Urdu Bazaar inside drains causing considerable damage to buildings built over the drains and in the surrounding areas. (By Editorial The Express Tribune, 16, 07/02/2020)

SC orders removal of top Sindh building officials

The Supreme Court on Thursday criticised the Sindh Building Control Authority over mushroom growth of unauthorised structures in the provincial metropolis and directed the chief minister to immediately remove the acting director general and other top officials of the SBCA.

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A three-judge SC bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, observed that apparently the SBCA had compromised on rules and pushed Karachi to the brink of a total disaster, adding that its director general had become a rubber stamp as he was unable to take decisions as per law. It said SBCA officials were allegedly involved in illegal activities and taking bribe and other government officials were also supporting them. The court directed the Sindh chief secretary to take over the affairs of the SBCA and produce before it on the next hearing all approvals given by the authority for construction of buildings, apart from gourd-plus-two-storey ones. It asked the chief minister to overhaul the SBCA and appoint a competent and honest director general and other senior officials who fully obey the law. The court made it clear that no exploitation would be allowed after it was informed that SBCA officials were allegedly taking bribes and allowing construction of multi-storey buildings on small plots. Apex court told that the land of recently constructed high-rise in Karachi’s Clifton area belongs to Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park The directives came during the hearing of a matter pertaining to an unauthorised building in Sindhi Muslim Society near Sharea Faisal. At the last hearing, the SC bench had ordered its demolition after it came on record that it was built on the land meant for a drain. During Thursday‘s proceedings when SBCA acting DG Zafar Ahsan was trying to justify alleged allotment of the land, its director Mushtaq Soomro intervened and tried to produce some documents apparently in support of the building‘s owner. The chief justice came down hard on the director for interrupting the proceedings as he was not authorised to do so and ordered the chief secretary to take action against him. The Karachi commissioner informed the bench that the building could not be demolished because of some restraining orders issued by the Sindh High Court. The bench directed the Sindh advocate general to get these stay orders vacated and also asked the SHC to decide the matter in two months. The apex court put on notice the owner of a recently constructed building (Com 3 Mall) adjacent to Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park in Clifton and sought a report after it was informed that the plot was a part of the park. A representative of a non-governmental organisation, Shehri-Citizens for Better Environment, said the plot belonged to the park. Some officials argued that the Sindh Board of Revenue had allotted the land, but the chief justice said the board had nothing to do with it as the land belonged to the Karachi Development Authority. The court directed the owner of the building to appear before it at the next hearing. The bench directed the Karachi mayor to remove the remaining encroachments on the land for Kidney Hill Park (Ahmed Ali Park) and submit a compliance report. Earlier, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) had informed the bench that it had retrieved the 62-acre land of Kidney Hill Park under the directive of the apex court and its PC-I had been submitted to develop it as a model park. However, during Thursday‘s proceedings, a representative of the NGO submitted that only 55 acres of the land had been retrieved and a private school and houses still existed on the remaining 7.5 acres. When the mayor said that there were some stay orders of the high court, the bench observed that since the Supreme Court had been issuing the directive, such stay orders had no impact. Hyatt Regency Hotel The bench directed the attorney general for Pakistan to attend the next hearing and sought the record of a land on which the abandoned Hyatt Regency Hotel structure was built. The bench was informed that the abandoned building was in the possession of Aqeel Karim Dhedhi (AKD) since the land was leased out in 2004 to him for 99 years by the Pakistan Railways to establish the National Commodity Exchange. The counsel for AKD contended that the Privatisation Commission had leased the land after completing all formalities. An official of the Pakistan Railways said that as per an earlier directive of the apex court, the railways land could not be leased for more than five years. The Sindh advocate general contended that the land was meant only for railways purposes. A federal law officer sought time to file reply on this issue. The SC bench ordered the director general of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to develop one of its plots, located in Clifton and meant for amenity purposes, as greenbelt and directed the mayor and KDA director general to clear the encroachments.

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The CAA director general informed the bench the plot measuring around eight acres was initially meant for a squash complex and later allotted to the CAA. The bench directed the DG to develop the land as a greenbelt and build another open space, located near the airport, as urban forestation in consultation with the people concerned. The NGO‘s representative said the amenity plot in Clifton measuring over 23 acres was illegally bifurcated into two — one was allotted to the CAA and the other encroached upon. The bench asked the mayor and KDA director general to clear encroachments on the land and revoke bifurcation and treat it as one plot to be developed as park. Sea Breeze Plaza The bench asked the Karachi Cantonment Board to examine a report submitted by the National Engineering Services Pakistan (Nespak) and Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) after examining the Sea Breeze Plaza located on M.A. Jinnah Road and submit a report on its fate within two weeks. The S.B. Complex Owners Welfare Association had moved the apex court, requesting it to review its May 9 order regarding the demolition of the plaza and contended that no report suggested that the building was dangerous and Nespak had inspected the building and its report was awaited. On Thursday, Nespak and PEC submitted a report on infrastructural depreciation of the building which suggested that the building was not fit unless it‘s re-strengthening and retrofitting. The appellant sought time to fulfil the requirements and suggestions made in the report. However, chief justice observed that since there was no real owner of the building, the court could not take risk to rely on setup owners. The court directed its staff to provide copy of the report to the cantonment board and asked it to consult with the engineers and other experts and file its own report on the fate of the building in two weeks. YMCA ground The Karachi commissioner informed the bench that as per its earlier directive, marriage halls and other commercial activities had been removed from the YMCA ground. He said a trees plantation drive would be initiated and arrangements would be made to provide sports facility to the people at the ground. The bench directed commissioner to demolish the YMCA ground‘s surroundings and fence it with iron grills. The advocate general submitted that there was a dispute between two groups of YMCA and the matter was pending with the SHC. The SC bench asked the SHC to decide the matter in six months. An official, representing a firm carrying out the Green Line project, informed the apex court that the infrastructure would be completed by the end of this year. He said the project was to be completed in 2018 as initially Bahria Town (Pvt) Limited undertook to develop a portion of the project but later backtracked. Therefore, he said, now the firm was working on the full project. (By Ishaq Tanoli Dawn, 01, 07/02/2020)

PAF, NAB negotiating to repay investors hit by housing scam

Correspondence is under way between the National Accountability Bureau and the Pakistan Air Force, which is willing to refund the amount collected from the affectees of the Fazaia Housing Scheme Karachi (FHSK) and to further settle all liabilities in that regard. This was stated by investigating officer Aslam Pervaiz Abro in a report regarding progress in the probe into an alleged Rs18 billion housing society scam submitted to administrative judge of the accountability courts Farid Anwar Qazi. The report mentioned that two detained suspects — Tanvir Ahmed and Bilal Tanvir of Maxim Properties — were involved in cheating the public in the name of the FHSK, which they alleged was illegally launched in a joint venture with the Pakistan Air Force in 2015. The report stated that the PAF had already submitted an application to the federal anti-graft watchdog for refund to the affectees and was further willing to settle all liabilities. It added that notices had been repeated to all the PAF officers involved in planning and execution of the FHSK project. Notices have been reissued to all PAF officers involved in the project ―PAF has sold out the units to its own employees, Tanvir Ahmed and Bilal are responsible for the sale of the housing units to the general public and have collected Rs18 billion,‖ said the report. Defence counsel for the suspects Ravi Panjani contended that NAB was targeting only his clients, but no action was being taken against the others involved in the alleged scam.

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Special public prosecutor Shahbaz Sahotra produced some documents before the court and informed it that correspondence between the NAB and PAF authorities was under way with regard to refund and settlement of liabilities. In the report, the IO said that both builders had not yet determined the number of the housing units to be built on the land designated for the FHSK, adding that they started a massive advertising campaign to lure the public into subscribing membership of the society in connivance with their other accomplices. It further stated that the FHSK was not registered with any government agency, but the builders sold 160,000 forms of the society against Rs1,000 each or even more. The suspects unfairly charged the public Rs1,548,870,000 at the time of registration as refundable amount and had been drawing bank profit on the amount till date, but failed to refund Rs402,080,000, it added. Commitment to build 2,804 luxury flats by 2020 The report mentioned that the physical inspection of Site-I conducted with the assistance of technical experts to verify the builders‘ claim of expenditures showed that they had planned to build 2,804 luxury flats in 25 mammoth towers and high-rise buildings in 2015 with a commitment to complete the project by 2020. However, the inspection showed that not a single apartment had been built on ground in more than four years despite collecting Rs18bn from the people in the name of development work, it said, adding that regrettably even less than four per cent work had been done. The suspects collected money from the public for booking 2,630 standard apartments and 2,649 bungalows on 269 acres of land at Site-II, which was yet to be inspected. The report stated that during the accounts analysis to track the outflow it was found that Rs2.366bn was illegally withdrawn by the detained builders who had done jugglery of the transactions to camouflage the money trail. They deceptively transferred funds from one bank account to 36 other accounts, the report said, adding that the complex layering of the funds by them showed their intention to launder the proceeds of crime and its subsequent integration as legitimate funds. The report mentioned that 23 bank accounts of the detained suspects had recently been unearthed in addition to the previous 36 bank accounts, which needed to be examined to trace Rs2.3bn of the public. Mr Sahotra said the technical analysis of the bank accounts, project site inspection and verification of the claims of the affectees were required to be conducted. Therefore, a 14-day extension in the physical remand of the suspects in the custody of NAB was required to complete the interrogation and investigation. Allowing the request, the judge granted 12-day further remand of the suspects in NAB custody with the direction to the IO to produce them on the next date with a progress report. (Bu Naeem Sahoutara Dawn, 15, 07/02/2020)

SC declares allotment of land for KPT housing society illegal

Declaring that the allotment of land on both sides of Mai Kolachi Road for the Karachi Port Trust Cooperative Housing Society was illegal, the Supreme Court on Friday directed the KPT chairman to ensure plantation of mangroves on the said land within two months. A three-judge SC bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed observed that the land was provided to the KPT only for the purpose of management and operations of the port and any lease made in favour of its trustees or employees was illegal. The bench in its May 2019 order observed: ―The land on both sides of Mai Kolachi Road was full of mangroves at one time with passage of sea water, now there is barren land and passage of sea water has been blocked. The chairman shall ensure that plantation of mangroves is made on both sides of the Mai Kolachi Road and flow of sea water is restored touching Bath Island area.‖ When the matter came up for hearing on Friday, the KPT chairman and his lawyers argued against the earlier order and submitted that the lease was made in accordance with the KPT Act of 1886. Court rules KPT cannot lease land to its trustees, employees; mangrove plantation on both sides of Mai Kolachi Road ordered After hearing Advocate Ali Zafar, who advanced his arguments from the apex court‘s Lahore registry through a video link, Advocate Yawar Farooqui, KPT chairman and the attorney general (AG) at length, the bench observed that its last order was still intact as nothing had come on record against it. It further noted that the purpose of the land was only for management and operations of the port and the KPT cannot allot or lease the land to any trustee or employee. The bench stated that the KPT chairman submitted that the federal government had allowed the organisation to lease the land, but such permission was not supportable under the law. The AG also admitted that a cooperative housing society could not be permitted on such a land, the bench said and directed the KPT chairman to implement its earlier order within two months.

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It further observed that with regard to the encroachments on other lands of the KPT, it can take action in accordance with the law. In may be recalled that in its May 9 judgement, the apex court had also observed, ―The chairman KPT is directed to be present in court on next date with report signed by him that all port lands are used for port purposes and in accordance of the KPT Act, no land whatsoever of the port is either sold/transferred, leased, or transfer, allotted to any person or its employee and whatever allotment, lease or transfer has taken place to immediately cancel and revert back the same to the port‖. (By Ishaq Tanoli Dawn, 15, 08/02/2020)

What's in a name?: The curious case of Mo(h)(a)(e)njo Daro

Since the ancient city‘s discovery in 1922 by R.D. Banerji, there has been constant scepticism around the civilisation‘s epithet.

Over the years, several spellings of the site‘s name have appeared in various publications adding to the dubiety of the case, but three contenders have remained the most recurrent–Moenjo Daro (Mound of the Dead), Mohanjo Daro (Mound of Mohan) and Mohenjo Daro (Mound of Krishna). However, the latest controversy emerged when Pakistan People‘s Party MPA Qasim Siraj Soomro moved a resolution in the Sindh Assembly to declare Mohenjo Daro as the site‘s official name, while defying the epithets Moenjo Daro and Mohanjo Daro. According to Soomro, the name Mohenjo Daro was coined by Sir John Marshal, under whose directions the site of Indus Valley Civilisation was excavated. ―The locals living in the area have also called it the same and it must be read and written as it was quoted by the first excavator of this site and those who have been living here for centuries,‖ he added.

Considering the symbols and language inscribed on the artefacts discovered from the site are yet to be deciphered, archaeologists, historians and linguists have been unable to pass a verdict on the site‘s official name. However, according t o local journalist Abdul Haq Pirzado, who lives a kilometre from the site of the ancient metropolis, the name Mohenjo Daro is derived from the Sindhi word Mohain. ―In Sindhi, ‗Mohain‘ refers to the view of a mound. There was once a huge mound in front of the villages, which could be seen from afar that is how the locals came to know the site as Mohenjo Daro,‖ informed Pirzado while briefing about local perspectives and quoting elders of the area. On the other hand, Dr Ishaq Samejo, who has a PhD in Sindhi Language, contested Pirzado‘s information and said there‘s no Sindhi word which offers such meaning. Last month, a three-day international conference was organised by the Sindh government on Indus Script, where archaeologists and linguists from various countries took part and presented their papers. The conference concluded with the recommendation to excavate more parts of Mohenjo Daro, as symbols and artefacts currently available are not sufficient enough to be deciphered. Furthermore, the Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Department has recently revised a technical committee to preserve the site. Sikandar Hullio, an anthropologist who also belongs to Mohenjo Daro area, has been made one of members of the technical committee. ―When there‘s no verdict on the name of any archeological site or place, it is most ly referred to by its local name,‖ said Hullio, addressing the controversy around Mohenjo Daro‘s official spelling. According to Hullio, the word ‗Mohenjo Daro‘ means the ‗village of the fishermen‘. And since the archaeological site is located by the bank of River Indus and houses a huge fishermen population, the locals came to know the site as Mohenjo Daro. ―Phonetically, words are changed with the passage of time. The word Mohen means ‗fisherman‘. John Marshall, with the help of the locals named the site Mohenjo Daro, but it was later changed to Moenjo Daro (Mound of the Dead) while some people call it Mohanjo Daro, but we have to follow what John Marshall referred to it as.‖ As per Altaf Aseem, the erstwhile director of the Sachal Chair at Shah Abdul Latif University, a seal of Mohenjo Daro has been found from the site of ancient Mesopotamian Civilisation in Iraq, which had trade relations with Mohenjo Daro. ―They have deciphered the seal and translated it as ‗Meluha‘. The word Meluha refers to fishermen, while those who use the word Mohan associate it to the Hindu god of the same name.‖ Dr. Michael Jansen,a German scholar who has spent three decades doing research on Mohenjo Daro and Harapa, has taken around 50,000 photos of walls and bricks of the ancient site, which earned him the prestigious ―Hilal e Imtiaz‖ for his work on the Indus Valley Civilisation. In a telephonic conversation with The Express Tribune, Jansen said that at this moment, we can‘t interpret the exact meaning of Mohenjo Daro because the language is not readable. ―The spelling of this site stems from John Marshall‘s publication in 1931 and his interpretation of Mohenjo Daro is ‗hill of the dead‘. If one really wants to know more about this ancient city, the government along with the help of international experts must invest in further excavating the site. Furthermore, many archaeological experts have expressed their concern over the present conditions of this site suggesting that the remains of t his city should be reburied to save them from further decay owing to climate change and human intervention.‖ Sindh Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sardar Shah quoted the book ‗Mohenjo-Daro and Indus Valley Civilisation‘ edited by John Marshall, the then director-general of Archaeological Survey of India, saying, ―It was an official account of archaeological excavation of this world-renowned site. We don‘t know the exact meaning of this word, but this is what the locals

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called it. Before the 18th Amendment that was passed in 2010, Mohenjo-Daro was under the domain of federal government and some extremist elements also called it ‗Moenjo Daro‘ (mound of dead) which is incorrect,‖ he explained. ―We are planning to excavate the remaining areas, which may allow us to find more artifacts and other buried items that can help us decipher the language and trace the civilisation properly,‖ he concluded. (By Hafeez Tunio The Express Tribune, 04, 11/02/2020)

Destroying livelihoods

A YEAR ago, a number of economists warned about the impending disaster which the PTI government was bringing to the country.

The signs were clearly evident; the poor decision-making, ineptitude and hubris were all suggesting just how bad things were becoming and the delay in taking critical decisions was making things much worse. An economy which had seen consistently high rates of growth, with per capita income and employment rising for almost a decade, was headed towards a huge wreck. After the 2018 elections, some economists had argued that whoever won, they would need to go to the IMF almost immediately and address the balance of payments and exchange rate problems which were indicating serious trouble ahead. The 10-month delay in going to the IMF caused by the PTI government made matters far worse than they would have been had this

decision been taken several months earlier. Today, we suffer both, the policies imposed by the IMF at the behest of the ruling clique, and the consequences of delayed decisions. The conditions imposed by the IMF have had to become much harsher on account of the extended delay in addressing the issues which needed urgent attention. Had the government got off its high horse and confronted the eventuality in August 2018 rather than in May 2019, the economy would not have deteriorated as much as it did due to procrastination, and the economic team might have been in a stronger position to negotiate with the IMF. With a wrecked economy, the IMF was in a dominating position to tighten every screw. It was the PTI‘s economic managers themselves who had got them into this bind in the first place. First wreck the economy, then its people... One year of suffocating austerity has made sure that after destroying the economy, this government, as a consequence, has now destroyed the real economy, which affects the lives of the working people and the dispossessed. While the government consistently celebrates the fact that it has drastically lowered the current account deficit — which, indeed, it has — there is not a single economic indicator which matters to the lives of the people which they can claim to have improved. In fact, every single indicator which affects the lives of the working people in Pakistan, is in a dismal state, perhaps the worst in over a decade and is likely to deteriorate much further. Inflation is at 14.5 per cent, the highest in over a decade. The even more troubling sign is that food inflation is more than an astonishing 25pc. Even those who still have a job are struggling with rising prices and anecdotal evidence across Pakistan suggests that many families have had to make extreme sacrifices in making ends meet. Stories of children having to be taken out of school and health and medical visits and expenditure being curtailed, while not sufficiently documented, if true, suggest a trend for the near future which will have serious consequences. The health and education gains over the last decade, especially for girls and women, are probably already lost. With the manufacturing industry contracting for eight straight months with closures in the automobile and related industries now a regular feature, the contagion of an economic slowdown is clearly evident, with agricultural growth now also falling. The GDP growth forecast for the current fiscal year continues to be downgraded, and there are few signs it will get to anywhere near 2.2pc, the lowest again, in a decade. In fact, economist Hafiz Pasha has calculated an even lower figure and suggests that the GDP rate this fiscal year will be only 1.2pc and 22 million would have become unemployed in the first two years of the PTI government. The recent crises in the shortages of tomatoes and flour are also an indication of utter mismanagement by the ruling clique, and with more such crises just waiting to happen, one can expect people to pay the price, literally, for incompetence and the indifference articulated so clearly in public statements by government ministers. The prime minister‘s ‗mafias‘ are simply another name for crony capitalists. With interest rates at their highest in a decade, utility prices consistently on the rise, and economic production slowing down, it is not surprising that the government can (only) celebrate a lowering of the current account deficit. When there is no economic activity, there will be little to import. Moreover, when there is slowing economic and business investment and activity, when households are forced to curtail consumption, targets to generate increased revenue will always be unachievable. The IMF needs to understand this too rather than berate the government for not meeting its targets. The PTI government has had no economic policy since it went to the IMF as it hasn‘t needed one. Its economic policy has simply been IMF agreements running on autopilot. Do what the IMF says, and sit back and watch the current account improve. The evidence over the last 10 months supports this suggestion. Beyond raising interest and utility rates and devaluing the rupee, the government hasn‘t really done much in the realm of economic policy. ‗Development‘ does not seem to be a term associated with the PTI government‘s economic programme.

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Given the absence of any creative thinking in economic policy by this government, one can only expect more of the same. This means more IMF subservience, a lack of concern with how the working people and those who are added to the category of the poor, will survive many more months of austerity, and an economic slowdown which will continue to wreck the lives of millions of Pakistanis. A government not fully accountable to the electorate and beholden to other power centres doesn‘t need to undertake development for the people, nor does it need to make their lives liveable. If the PTI government had been on the ‗same page‘ as the dispossessed and working people, we would have seen a very different economic outcome. (By S.Akbar Zaidi Dawn, 08, 11/02/2020)

Court bars action against Naya Nazimabad

The Sindh High Court issued on Friday notices to all relevant departments, restricting them from taking action against the construction of Naya Nazimabad residential scheme. A two-member bench, comprising Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan, was hearing a plea challenging the letters written by the West district deputy commissioner (DC) on the matter. The petitioner‘s counsel, Advocate Haider Waheed, maintained that the Board of Revenue had attempted to take action against the construction, terming the move ―illegal.‖ He claimed that efforts were being made to nullify the lease of the project‘s l and, adding that the Sindh Building Control Authority too had issued directives to cancel the layout plans. The counsel said that the construction of the project was started with the approval of all relevant departments and hence, the letters by the DC and action taken to halt the construction were illegal. The court restricted the relevant departments from taking action against the project‘s construction, seeking replies from them on the plea by February 27. Sentence upheld Meanwhile, a bench comprising Justice KK Agha and Justice Mubeen Lakho upheld the death sentence meted out to nine persons found guilty of perpetrating an attack on a corps commander, Ahsan Saleem Hayat, in Karachi, and acquitted two others, Yaqoob Saeed Khan and Najeebullah, convicted in the case. The verdict was announced during the hearing of a plea challenging the sentences awarded to the convicts. An anti-terrorism court had handed death sentences to Attaur Rehman, Shehzad Bajwa, Danish Imam, Khurram Saifullah, Aziz Ahmed, Shehzad Mukhtar, Rao Khalid, Shoaib Siddiqi and Muhammad Khalid, after finding them guilty of the offence in 2006. PSL matches In the meantime, a plea seeking to hold Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) was filed in the high court. Petitioner Abdul Jaleel Marwat has stated in the plea that the people of K-P and Balochistan also want to see national and international cricketers playing at home grounds. The plea contends that Peshawar Zalmi [from K-P] and Quetta Gladiators [from Balochistan] have been crowned PSL champions, yet no match, from among the 34 scheduled, would be held in either of the two provinces. The plea moves to the court to order the Pakistan Cricket Board to organise matches in K-P and Balochistan. Counter reply sought Meanwhile, a two-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed sought a counter-reply from a petitioner, following the submission of a report during the hearing of a plea pertaining to faulty security arrangements at shrines. The petitioner, Ahmed Dawood, termed the security arrangements at shrines in Karachi ―unsatisfactory‖ in his plea. Claiming the lack of proper security arrangements at mosques and shrines, excluding Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine, the plea states that security lapses pose a threat to citizens‘ lives and safety. Police too have submitted a report by the Karachi police chief, according to which just 58 police officials have been deputed at 313 shrines across the city and only 10 officials are deployed at Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine during a single shift. The petitioner informed the court that utility bills for shrines and mosques, worth millions of rupees, had gone unpaid for the past five years. Maintaining that the Auqaf Department owed Rs45.3 million to K-Electric, the petitioner presented copies of the unpaid bills to the court. The power utility has also sent letters to various shrines and mosques, warning them of removing the connections if the bills remained unpaid. The court adjourned the hearing till March 18 after seeking the petitioner‘s reply to the report submitted by the police. (By Our Correspondent The Express Tribune, 04, 15/02/2020)

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Top court hold SBCA responsible for ‘Karachi’s destruction’ The Supreme Court (SC) issued on Wednesday a written order holding the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) responsible for encroachments abounding in Karachi and directing relevant authorities to remove illegal structures from the city. A three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, issued the order that states, ―SBCA is responsible for the city‘s destruction.‖ The order further accuses the SBCA officials of ―collecting bribes in exchange for allowing illegal construction.‖ The order notes that laws of construction are being violated in Karachi, with the offenders being backed by the police and ot her government departments, beside SBCA officials. The order calls for the Sindh chief minister to look into the matter and take measures for setting SBCA straight, which will be a stepping stone towards identifying and replacing corrupt officials with honest ones. Referring to the construction of fuel stations on green belts and nullahs along the length of Shahrah-e-Quaideen, the order mentions that the Karachi commissioner had been informed of the violation but the petrol pumps‘ owners acquired a stay order from the high court when the city administration took action to reclaim the encroached land. The order also mentions that the railway secretary had informed the court that the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) had decided to hand over the management of local trains to the provincial government, as a measure to restore Karachi Circular Railway. In light of this information, the apex court has ordered the railway secretary to present ECNEC‘s decision to the court on February 21. In the order, the SC has also directed the relevant authorities to immediately remove encroachments from Shahrah-e-Quaideen and connecting roads, shift vehicle repair shops encroaching public spaces in Khudadad Colony elsewhere, raze illegal structures from two acres of land adjacent to Aladdin Park, as well as cancel the lease of the residential scheme‘s builder and acquire the possession of the land, remove encroachments from Kidney Hill Park and ensure the completion of the Green Line bus rapid transit project by March, 2021. The court has further ordered the Sindh advocate general to deal with cases pertaining to encroachments under trial in the high court and clear the city of illegal structures. ―It is expected of the high court to announce verdict on the cases [pertaining to encroachments] within two months,‖ the SC order states. Besides, the SC has sought records of all ground-plus-two buildings constructed in the city over the last decade. Further directing the federal government and Karachi commissioner to submit a report on the legal status of Hyatt Regency Hotel, the court has stated in the order that the construction of development projects on any land allotted for playgrounds or parks will not be permitted. (By Nasir Butt The Express Tribune, 04, 20/02/2020)

Centre, Sindh told to consult experts on relocating katchi abadis residents

The Supreme Court has directed the federal and provincial governments to consult town planning professionals as well as city authorities before carrying out an exercise to relocate people from illegally set up katchi abadis to appropriately constructed buildings with all basic amenities in the city. A three-judge SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, asked both the governments to duly consult city representatives and also obtain the input from planning professionals to relocate the residents from katchi abadis. These directives were issued in a 40-page detailed order of the apex court that conducted two-day proceedings at the SC‘s Karachi registry on Feb 6 and 7 in the matters related to illegal encroachments in the metropolis. During the proceedings, Attorney General Anwar Mansoor Khan as well as Advocate General Sindh Salman Talibuddin made a categorical statement before the bench that the city of Karachi was facing serious issues and the most crucial one was that of katchi abadis. It was stated that these katchi abadis occupied major part of the metropolis, including important and expensive chunks of land in the very heart of the city. SC releases detailed order of two-day proceedings on city’s encroachments issue However, the bench was informed that the federal as well as the provincial governments had already started planning to relocate the residents of these katchi abadis in appropriately constructed buildings with all basic amenities of modern life and create open breathing spaces in the city for the betterment of the environment and the people. ―We direct that while undertaking such exercise, the city representatives be duly consulted and at the same time professional input shall also be obtained,‖ stated the court order.

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The AG Sindh informed the bench that the Sindh government had already constituted a committee of renowned town and city planners, who had started their work to give suggestions on the issue of illegal constructions and rehabilitating the affected people in a decent manner. He added that the committee‘s report had already been received by the Sindh government, but had not yet been finalised. The CJP asked the advocate general to ensure that the initial report, which had been received from the town and city planners, was filed in court and also published in newspapers and broadcast on television so that the public may know about it and given their input. He said that the report shall be discussed by the persons who can make the proposed plan more understandable to the public. The CJP said: ―Be that as it may, to the extent of what is noted above, let the compliance be made. In this regard, further proceedings in the case were adjourned till the next session.‖ Blue Line project assigned to KIDCL Saleh Ahmed Farooqi, the chief executive officer of the Karachi Infrastructure Development Company Limited (KIDCL), appeared before the bench and stated that the construction work on a Green Line section had been completed in 2017. However, for the Blue Line section, Mr Farooqi said, the work was assigned to Bahria Town, which had since backed out and now the work had been entrusted to KIDCL. He further stated that the work on the entire project was likely to be completed by the end of the current year and the transport facility would become operational by March 2021. The bench ordered: ―We may note that while this company is doing construction work, it shall not be allowed to occupy or to make construction or to interfere with any of the existing parks, playgrounds or amenity spaces meant for the public use.‖ The bench further ordered: ―If any additional land is required by them for the project, the same shall be acquired by it from the relevant quarters, in accordance with law but without effecting any of the amenities noted above.‖ SC to take up KCR issue on 21st The bench extensively heard the matter regarding the Karachi Circular Railway as well as local train service. During the hearing, the secretary of the Pakistan Railways made a statement that the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) had taken a decision of handing over the operation and running of the KCR and the Karachi local train service to the Sindh government. But when asked he was unable to place a notification of the Ecnec in court. Therefore, the bench directed the PR secretary to ensure filing of the said decision before the bench and adjourned hearing till Feb 21. 10-year record of SBCA-approved buildings sought The bench also directed the Sindh chief secretary to immediately take over the affairs of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and deal with the same as per the law. He was given two weeks to submit a report about all the approvals of the buildings that had more than ground plus two floors granted by the SBCA across Karachi in the last 10 years, along with their addresses, names of owners, present status of such buildings and names of the sanctioning officials of the SBCA. Earlier, the bench directed the chief minister to immediately remove acting director-general of the SBCA Zafar Ahsan and other top officials observing that it seemed that the illegal constructions were being allowed by the officials of the authority by indulging in bribery and other illegal activities. It also noted that the police department and other government officials also gave protection to these activities. (By Naeem Sahoutara Dawn, 14, 20/02/2020)

Restoring heritage

BY the mid-18th century, British and European painters did not have to wait in their studios for their subjects. They travelled abroad, often as far away as India, in search of commissions. One such pioneer was Tilly Kettle who, in the 1770s, made dramatic portraits of Muhammad Ali Khan, Nawab of the Carnatic and then of Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula at Fyzabad. Each centred, bedecked in jewels, like a diamond solitaire in a gilt setting. Indian rulers were flattered by such attention, but reluctant to spend so much money on painted cloth. Many such paintings are in public or private collections in the United Kingdom and in India.

Pakistan is fortunate to have a series of oil paintings done in the 1840s by Hungarian artist August Schoefft. Born in Budapest in

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1809, he succumbed to the lure of the East, reaching Mumbai in 1838. The commissions he executed there for rich Parsis paid for his trip to Kolkata, Varanasi and Delhi, where he sketched the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar and his two sons Mirza Jawan Bakht and Mirza Mughal. The iridescent Sikh court of nearby Punjab proved irresistible. Schoefft spent some months in 1840-41 as the guest of the then Maharaja Sher Singh, the son and successor of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Although Ranjit Singh had died earlier, in 1839, his memory was still alive, as were many of the Sikh, Muslim and Hindu courtiers who populated his open-minded court. Schoefft completed some portraits while at Lahore. The Russian traveller Prince Alexis Saltykov recalled seeing in Sher Singh‘s possession ―five or six portraits in oils without frames, the work of Schoefft‖. Over the years, these paintings have languished through neglect. Schoefft returned to Europe where, from the sketches he had done in India, he completed oil paintings. These were exhibited in Vienna in 1855. A large number were brought on behalf of the last Maharaja of the Punjab Duleep Singh (by then deposed and living in England). This pictorial cache of history remained with his family until the death in 1957 of his last surviving child, Princess Bamba Sutherland. She died in Lahore. The collection was rescued from dispersal by a far-sighted secretary of education, Mr Sharif. He arranged for them to be displayed in an air-conditioned gallery in the Lahore Fort. A large panorama of the Sikh durbar of Lahore formed the centrepiece of the exhibition. Over the years, these paintings have languished through neglect and disinterest. Unprotected, their paint was chipped by inquisitive viewers, their varnish cracked by inattention. Few Pakistanis were allowed to visit it, and even fewer Sikhs after the wars of 1965 and 1971. In 1977, the scholar Dr Ahmad Nabi Khan (then superintendent of the Lahore Fort) asked me to write about the collection. The book, he assured me, would be a glossy volume with colour illustrations. I wrote the book in six weeks. It languished for over a year. No one in Pakistan would publish it. Sotheby Park Bernet in London again came to my rescue. Dr M.S. Randhawa, the Sikh polymath who created Chandigarh and founded the Punjab Agricultural University at Ludhiana, generously contributed a foreword. The published book, like the collection itself, lay forgotten — until the year before last, when the Hungarian ambassador Istvan Szabo and his equally enterprising wife Emilia stumbled on the Schoefft paintings during a visit to the Lahore Fort. They had to tip the guard Rs1,000 to gain access to the unlit, unswept gallery. Their love for Hungary and Pakistan fused. Since then, they have battled to have these painting restored, first for an exhibition of Orientalists in Budapest in 2019 (the deadline expired before the government could issue its approval), and now in a to-be-refurbished gallery in the Lahore Fort. Only someone who has toiled, as they and I have done, over foothills of bureaucracy will know why it is easier to climb Mount Everest. Someone with more power than common sense thought the restoration should be done by local ‗experts‘ who would touch up the oil paintings with watercolour. Another contended that shifting the large canvas would involve breaking a wall. No one had told him that the painting had been transported, rolled in a metal tube, from Vienna to the UK in the 1850s and from the UK to Lahore in the 1950s. The federal government, the Punjab government and the Walled City of Lahore Authority squabbled over ownership. Recently, finally, vital permissions have been accorded. Funds have been contributed by non-government donors. Specialist Hungarian restorers in Budapest are packing their bags and their precious materials to complete their mission of mercy — art sans frontières. This restoration project is more than an act of diplomatic largesse, more than the overdue recognition of a Hungarian artist‘s work. It is a reminder to us Pakistanis that, if we continue to neglect our heritage, we stand condemned to forfeit it. (By F.S Aijazuddin Dawn, 09, 20/02/2020)

Nusserwanjee building to be restored

With US Ambassador Paul Jones announcing a grant of Rs15 million for Karachi‘s Nusserwanjee Building, the historic structure

is set to get a new lease on life. Addressing a ceremony held at the Indus Valley School of Art (IVS), housed in the building, the ambassador said that the grant would be released by the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP). The rehabilitation project is a joint venture of AFCP and the Sindh Exploration and Adventure Society (SEAS), a non-profit organisation. ―Working together, ACFP and SEAS, as well as IVS, will demonstrate that the preservation of cultural sites goes beyond stones and mortar. It is an investment in building a stronger,

more prosperous Pakistan,‖ said the ambassador, speaking on the occasion. ―Preservation work strengthens communities, builds a sense of belonging, contributes to economic development and educates future generations about the heritage,‖ he added.

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Constructed in 1903, the Nusserwanjee Building is representative of historical downtown Karachi and is a reminder of Karachi‘s pluralistic religious and cultural roots. It was saved from demolition in 1991 and relocated, stone by stone, from Kharadar to the IVS campus. This is the third AFCP grant in Sindh and the 23rd such award in Pakistan. (By PPI The Express Tribune, 05, 21/02/2020)

Facing homelessness, residents demand justice outside SC

As the Supreme Court resumed hearings at its Karachi Registry on Friday, protesters affected by the anti -encroachment

operations in the city crowded the road in front of the building, demanding justice. Most of the protesters were residents from Lines Area and Gulshan-e-Maymar, while the throng also included retired employees of the Pakistan Steel Mills who wanted plots that had been promised to them. Awaiting the arrival of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), they held up placards and banners. Inside the court, the bench vacated a stay order against the demolition drive that had previously been issued by the Sindh High Court. Several of the demonstrators, who included women and children, were raising their voices to demand alternative housing before their residences were razed from land

allotted for the restoration of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR), in line with judicial orders. ―Ghar ke badlay ghar [a house for a house],‖ stated one placard, adding that it was their right to be provided a lternative housing. Another said, ―Saada haq aithay rakh [give us our rights]‖ while yet another asked how they could be deprived of housing when the Supreme Court had ordered that they be resettled first. Meanwhile, former Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan leader Farooq Sattar, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Firdous Shamim Naqvi and Raja Azhar, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) politician Najmi Alam expressed solidarity with the protesters. ―No one is willing to take responsibility. No political party is willing to own Karachi,‖ asserted Sattar, pointing out that people were being left homeless with their houses razed. ―The federal government shifts the burden to the Sindh government; the provincial government, on the other hand, says it cannot build it [alternative housing].‖ He said that he and other politicians could give advice regarding the KCR if the court permitted, adding that they also had suggestions for the project‘s funding. ―Karachi generates Rs3,000 billion – can‘t it get Rs300 billion?‖ he asked. Naqvi, who had been present in the hearing pertaining to encroachment on railway land, said that they had appeared before the court to represent the public in the case, but the court was ‗not very eager‘ to hear the voices of public representatives. ―Those who have ruined Karachi stand before everyone,‖ he stated, referring to the provincial authorities. He went on to say that the Sindh government was misguiding those who were being evicted as well as the Supreme Court judges, adding that not a single affected individual had been provided alternative accommodation. Ghani stressed that billions of dollars were needed for the KCR project. ―The Sindh chief minister approached the federal government when the Japan International Cooperation Agency separated from the project, and included KCR in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor,‖ explained the provincial minister, complaining that the Centre was not giving due importance to the project. Referring to the apex court‘s orders to finish the project within six months, he further said that a lot of work could be done in this time, but the KCR could not be completed. Ghani added that the PTI leaders should advocate for the provision of alternative accommodation before the federal government led by their party if they wanted the betterment of their constituents. ―Lines Area is not a katchi abadi,‖ asserted PPP leader Alam. ―Action against those responsible for the encroachments should be taken before the anti-encroachment operations are carried out.‖ Hyatt Regency case Meanwhile, in proceedings inside the court, the Supreme Court issued notices to the railway secretary and other relevant officials in a case pertaining to the construction of the Hyatt Regency Hotel on land owned by the railway department. A three-member bench, headed by CJP Gulzar Ahmed and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, was hearing the case at the court‘s Karachi Registry. Justice Ahmed ordered the defence lawyer to show the court evidence of payment as proof that the land had been purchased, adding that it should include details such as the purchase amount and the mode of payment.

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―How could land worth billions of rupees be sold for Rs530 million?‖ he questioned, adding that the city was not for sale. ―How did the authorities sell the land in the absence of any power to do so? This is public land, how could anyone sell it?‖ The counsel representing the railway department claimed that there had been no construction on the land for 16 years, further saying that no payment of rent had been made since 2014. He informed the court that the land was currently worth three billio n rupees. The court issued notices to the railway secretary and other officials. (By Nasir Butt The Express Tribune, 04, 22/02/2020)

New discoveries at Bhambore

Sindh is an ancient land where civilisation has been thriving, at least, for the past seven thousand years. The discovery of the ancient Indus Valley civilsation in 1922 changed the basic fact about the start of recorded history of the Indian subcontinent; because before 1922 Indian history was reckoned to begin with the Aryan invasion of the subcontinent. New excavations carried out at Bhambore have revealed that it was the biggest producer of ivory in the ancient world. This shows that once thick forests existed in the Bhambore region because ivory grows on the mouth of elephants and their natural habitat is in jungles. The present excavations were carried out by an Italian archaeologist, Simon Mantelin, together with Pakistani experts in the field. They were assisted by students of Pakistani universities. In the excavations, a vast number of historical artefacts has been unearthed, including articles made of ivory, coins, copper, bronze, glass, iron, wood, shells, fired bricks and mud bricks. A t a presentation at the National Museum Karachi on Thursday, Mantelin said a total of 6,675 ivory pieces had been discovered at Bhambore. He said though a large number of ivory pieces was unearthed in Iraq too, the present discovery at Bhambore was the biggest. The latest discovery of artefacts at an ancient site will likely open up new job opportunities for archaeologists both at historical sites and museums. Excavations are also being carried out in Sakrand, Sindh. Bhamobore dates back to the first century BC. The port city is supposed to be the capital of Raja Dahir‘s. Such discoveries would kindle the young generation‘s interest in history. Here it is relevant to mention Indian PM Modi‘s ‗knowledge‘ of histo ry. At a public meeting during the election campaign in 2019, he had described the ancient city of Taxila as being located on the banks of the Ganges in north India. (By Editorial The Express Tribune, 16, 22/02/2020)

Snatching homes

THE Sindh High Court‘s orders on the demolition of multi-storey buildings in Karachi are heart wrenching for the people who have bought flats and live there. I live in one such building in Gizri after I purchased a flat for what to me was a considerable sum that I saved out of my meagre earnings. That is not all: I borrowed a considerable amount from my father, who retired from service and received his provident fund and other dues. I also borrowed from some friends and relatives. My family managed the money for the flat with severe nourishment problems for long periods. Afterward, we migrated to Karachi leaving nothing in our village. Although, the honourable chief justice‘s remarks for demolishing the buildings could be correct, why on earth make us helpless people suffer?. Where were the authorities at the time of the construction of these multi-storey buildings? Why did they allow the builders to construct? We ordinary people had believed that the builders had obtained consent from relevant authorities. It is our humble request to the honourable court not to take away our sole shelter. The honourable court is perfectly justified in stopping all illegal construction projects. The court should also thoroughly probe the government officials and builders engaged in this crime. Shahnawaz Ali Karachi (From the Newspaper Dawn, 09, 23/02/2020)

Shelterless In Karachi

Ali is a 25-year-old from Karachi. He works in a button-making factory in Landhi and earns 200-500 rupees a day. He was younger when his mother died and his father remarried. His home dynamics were never the same again. He stuck it out and attended school till ninth grade, but then finally decided to leave his home. He now sleeps on the footpath in front of Shaheen Complex. The footpath is clean and has tiles on it. Ali says that his relatives created such conditions that there was no other option for him except to live on the streets. He did not receive support or assistance from any government agency or non-governmental organisation (NGO). Until recently, Ali would carry his belongings — a shawl, pillow and blanket — in a bag. His shawl was recently stolen.

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Ali eats at local hotels and sometimes has no option but to consume the food distributed outside the Shah Alam shrine on M.A. Jinnah Road. He says that he does not trust the free food provided by charities as he finds it substandard. He has a computerised national identity card (CNIC) and says that he is generally satisfied with his life on the streets.

The young man is part of Karachi‘s sizable shelterless population. Attempting to exercise their right to the city, individuals like him muddle through various urban locations to identify possibilities to inhabit and build a life. In Karachi, such informal dwelling is a visible phenomenon in almost all neighbourhoods. According to the population census of 2017 in Pakistan, Karachi has a total population of 16.5 million. During this enumeration exercise, special effort was made to include the people sleeping on the streets and other such spaces. But the detailed results of the census, including the headcount of those sleeping on the streets, have not been

announced. However, as per Pakistan: Urban Housing Issues (2018) by Arif Hasan and Hamza Arif, the housing demand in Karachi is 120,000 units per year. The formal sector

provides only 42,000 units followed by 32,000 units by the informal sector. Unfortunately, there is a lack of information and documentation regarding Karachi‘s shelter woes. And there is a need to explore the status of those who live without proper dwelling. This author, along with a few teammates, conducted interviews with the shelterless who lived in various locations between 2018 and 2019. From this study, three typologies of spaces emerged that are commonly used by the shelterless as living spaces. The first type is livelihood-related spaces. Railway stations, bus terminals, top of pushcarts, extensions of shops and markets and garbage dumping yards/recycling enterprises can be included in this typology. The second type comprises ‗negotiated spaces‘, including footpaths, unfinished and abandoned buildings, spaces underneath flyovers, parks and playgrounds, roads, green belts and shrines. Invisible spaces make up the third type. Shelterless individuals living in spaces along nullahs (natural water drains) and graveyards

are two examples of such spaces. LIVELIHOOD-RELATED SPACES 19-year-old Faris* works at the Karachi Cantonment Railway Station. The young man has to give 30 percent of his earnings to the contractor who employs him. Money is always tight for Faris but he makes do by living at the station. This has allowed him to build some useful friendships here. He rides back to his hometown in Sukkur by informally paying 100-200 rupees to the train guards (who know him). Most other nights, he sleeps on the benches and other open public spaces.

Faris is not alone. Many of the porters, workers on different stalls, day-wage labourers and non-listed porters at active stations also live at their place of work. These people acquire access to different ranges of spaces within the station complex. External landscapes and threshold spaces are generally used by those workers who do not have a formal and long-term link with activities inside the station. Porters and other workers access internal spaces for dwelling purposes. The situation at bus terminals is similar. The Baldia Town bus terminal is a public facility for buses and coaches heading to Quetta and other locations in Balochistan. Within the complex itself, a sizable number of workers use the paved spaces and waiting area benches as their resting spot. A lot of

these young men do not have any other shelter available in Karachi. But even those who have relations or acquaintances in the city do not leave the terminal due to long working hours. The workers have some basic possessions such as mattresses and quilts, and take short naps between their work shifts. Most of these people go back to their homes in different parts of the country for 20-30 days a year but, for the rest of the year, their place of work is also their home. According to the population census of 2017 in Pakistan, Karachi has a total population of 16.5 million. During this enumeration exercise, special effort was made to include the people sleeping on the streets and other such spaces. But the detailed results of the census, including the headcount of those sleeping on the streets, have not been announced. Unlike workers at train stations and bus shops, others who live at their place of work may find themselves without a roof over their head. For example, after a hard day‘s work, many pushcart operators pack up their merchandise and spread bedding on their carts, and go to sleep right there. Usually, this option is exercised as a group activity, with several vendors and their labourers sleeping on the carts. This is done to maintain a sense of security and exercise caution. In these situations, some vendors also take turns to keep awake and stand guard while the others sleep. Until recently, pushcart workers around Empress Market, Jodia Bazaar and other locations in the south, several markets in F.B. Area and Nazimabad in District Central, Landhi and Korangi, as well as pushcart concentrations along the main thoroughfares, were observed using this option. But more recently, in the wake of anti-encroachment operations in the city, pushcart vendors have started moving towards inner lanes and streets. Similarly, a significant number of workers linked to the informal recycling industry live by the banks of the Lyari River,

major nullahs and some adjacent spaces. Many of the labourers have no place to live, and some are forced to sleep at the edges of

storage yards where the waste is sorted, packaged and stored. In some cases, the enterprises‘ owners engage such shelterless labourers to continue working at night as shift watchmen. A significant number of these workers are found in Lasbela, Shershah and Pak Colony past midnight. NEGOTIATED SPACES

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Karachi has many spaces that the shelterless are able to access after fulfilling certain prerequisites prescribed by the local administration and other controlling stakeholders, or by adopting more informal negotiation tactics. An example of such spaces is footpaths. Footpaths are an essential spatial component in Karachi, present along all major roads, streets and lanes in the city. At night, these

footpaths become a desirable location for the shelterless to sleep on. These shelterless individuals generally prefer places where they can sleep without being challenged by other users or the police. They mostly frequent corners or edges of the footpaths which are not intensely utilised for walking by pedestrians, especially during late evenings. Since shopkeepers, restaurant operators and other forms of retail businesses often extend their activities on to footpaths, the shelterless usually strike a working relationship with them. After the shops and other forms of business close down, the shelterless are allowed to sleep on the stoops of the shops. However, according to some who were interviewed, this option is only available to the shelterless who are known to the shopkeepers, or those who possess a CNIC or those who belong to the same class or tribal origin. The individuals who do not fit these criteria have to look for other options. The options include looking for temporary shelter in the many dilapidated, abandoned and unfinished buildings in the city which are scattered in several older and newly emerging neighbourhoods. Two distinct patterns have been observed. In older parts of the city, the abandoned buildings and sites are accessed by street children, scavengers, petty labourers and workers associated with street vendors. In suburban locations, evidence suggests that shelterless families and single men approach the watchmen and other staff to seek temporary access to such buildings.

The number of shelterless people in Karachi is increasing fast, says a union council employee. He believes that the majority of these people come from outside Karachi. He says that migrants from South Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan freely squat in different locations of the city. Many buildings in Karachi are half-constructed and some residential projects have been halted due to various reasons. The owners and managers of these projects generally do not object to shelterless individuals temporarily living on the threshold outside their buildings. In some cases, these informal residents pay a small sum as ‗rent‘ to stay on the premises. The women of the family generally work as domestic staff in different nearby neighbourhoods. The men, however, were found to be jobless. They live off their wives‘, sisters‘ or mothers‘ earnings. Some engage in part-time vocation of kabarris (junk buyers) using a pushcart. Others work as

occasional petty labourers. The use of drugs is a common experience found among them.

Some shelterless individuals stay away from these buildings, choosing to live on the streets instead. Bhagwandas*, a 30-year-old Hindu man originally from Hyderabad, lives under a flyover bridge in Nazimabad. He works as a street vendor and practically spends most of his time out on the streets of Karachi. The flyover in Nazimabad is only his latest temporary place of stay; he has lived in multiple such places over the past seven years. Many of Bhagwandas‘s relatives also live along the spaces under the flyover bridge. He and his clan members — including women — get water from a nearby mosque. They also use the mosque‘s toilets. Some members of the family resort to begging. Whenever

anyone is sick, they go to the nearby Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, a government-run facility. They also receive occasional help from the area‘s residents who offer them food or small sums of money in charity. Policemen and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) staff sometimes threaten Bhgawandas and his relatives, and try to extort bribes out of them. Some of Bhagwandas‘s family members benefit from the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) — a government facility that extends monthly stipends and pensions to the poor. Now an expanded social security programme, called Ehsaas, has also been launched by the federal government on the same principles and procedures. But Bhagwandas cannot take advantage of these programmes as he does not have a CNIC. Living out on the streets, the man often worries about the unpredictable law and order condition in Karachi. Otherwise, he says, he is generally satisfied. He sends about 4,500 rupees per month to his father in Hyderabad. During the past 20 years, many grade-separated interchanges — such as the flyover under which Bhagwandas sleeps — have been constructed in Karachi to facilitate the smooth movement of vehicular traffic. The design and space allocation of these structures is such that options emerge for the shelterless people to live under them. Others temporarily inhabit more scenic environs. There are many parks and playgrounds in Karachi where the shelterless sleep at night. Some parks have a watchman and security staff to keep these individuals out, but many of them informally pay the watchmen and gain access to the space. Rizwan* is a 61-year-old originally from the city of parks, Lahore. He migrated to Karachi, nine years ago, in search of greater employment opportunities. He now works at a printing press and lives on a footpath along the wall of a public park in Arambagh. He

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says he lives here because the cost of commuting is too high even if he find affordable housing. By dwelling outside, he is able to save enough to send 15,000 rupees to his daughter who goes to school in Lahore. Every day for the shelterless is a struggle, but they make do and find ways to survive in Karachi. Some develop working relationships with residents, social, religious and commercial enterprises to access water, sanitation and storage facilities. Roads are another popular choice for the shelterless. The street morphology of major thoroughfares and roads is such that central medians are either hard paved or landscaped with grass cover. Shahrae Faisal, University Road, Shaheed-e-Millat Road, Shershah Suri Road and many other streets are where scores of people are found sleeping and squatting in the evening and after. The shelterless individuals here belong to diverse categories, origins and socioeconomic backgrounds. Some even sleep on the greenbelts because their nearby houses are overcrowded. These individuals are not shelterless per se, but possess inadequate living space. But a vast majority of the people sleeping on greenbelts are shelterless and live almost permanently in these spaces. Day-wage labourers, unskilled migrants to the city, drug addicts, street children, formally employed workers, vendors, petty criminals, operators of public vehicles and others are found spending their nights on such greenbelts. SHRINES, MOSQUES AND GRAVEYARDS For the shelterless, the shrines in Karachi are another popular destination. Many single males, families, elderly and disabled women, transgender people and day labourers temporarily live in the various public open spaces in the compounds of shrines. Larger shrines also have daily food distribution that is free for all. Police and administrative staff are also generally more lenient in these precincts. The ordinary shelterless person resorts to accessing shrine spaces as an initial choice. Often there are fights between the older and newer entrants in the complex for territory and access to better food and other similar privileges. Small to medium petty gangs also evolve in these precincts.

Mir* is a 17-year-old who lives on the threshold of the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine. He works as a day-wage labourer on different construction sites and earns about 700-800 rupees per day. He hails from Faisalabad and has no direct family members in Karachi or Faisalabad. He moved to Karachi seven months ago after his parents died in an accident. Being underage, he does not have a CNIC. Mir uses the toilets and bathrooms in the shrine compound and pays 10 rupees for each visit. Police and other law-enforcement agencies do not bother him. He obtains food from the shrine, and when he falls ill, he prays for health at the shrine or visits the nearby hospital. Some mosques and graveyards also become popular spots for the shelterless. This only happens when the shelterless individuals are able to negotiate a deal with the caretakers of these spaces. In some cases, the relatives and acquaintances of caretakers get the

privilege of living in graveyards. The usual places where these people are found are the paved extensions of flower shops inside the graveyards and shops preparing tombstones and fragrance supplies. Observation, interviews and field visits to graveyards located

close to a nullah reveals that many criminals, drug sellers and muggers find refuge in graveyards. These spaces apparently provide

an easy option to hide and escape in case of a crackdown by the police. Liaquatabad and Essa Nagri graveyards are examples of such spaces.

PERSPECTIVES OF OTHER STAKEHOLDERS The number of shelterless people in Karachi is increasing fast, says a union council employee. He believes that the majority of these people come from outside Karachi. He says that migrants from South Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan freely squat in different locations of the city, including Liaquatabad. Many of them have a criminal record, but they still strike a working relationship with the local police staff if they are originally from the same geographic region. An assistant sub-inspector of the police says that it is difficult to keep track of shelterless individuals, as they change places and opt for spaces where few people or city

administration bother them. Nonetheless, the police keep a close eye on them. ―I have seen many footpath dwellers who were lured to join criminal gangs,‖ he says. ―Ring leaders of such crime syndicates only target able-bodied, young and mentally sharp lads.‖ He says that many of the others who come to Karachi in search of job opportunities live outside only temporarily; once they ―connect

well‖ with the job market, they move into the katchi abadis (squatter settlements).

Sanitation staff and medical doctors say that the shelterless cause several problems for them. But others have accepted them as part of the city. Rehan*, a staff member of the Edhi Foundation, is responsible for serving free food to anyone who comes to the centre. Food is cooked at several central locations in the city by Edhi kitchens and is served in the mornings, afternoons and early evenings. The menu keeps changing according to the health and nutrition requirements of the people. Anyone and everyone is welcome to eat here; the only condition is that people are not allowed to take food with them. We observed that the homeless, travellers, low-paid workers and sometimes even white-collar workers eat here. GETTING TO KNOW KARACHI’S SHELTERLESS POPULATION The shelterless can be grouped into five types. The first type is individuals who possess no evidence of citizenship. They cross into Pakistan through illegal means and eventually find their way to Karachi. Almost all of these individuals are from Afghanistan and

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very few are from Iran and Bangladesh. According to local police officials, these individuals often possess criminal records and intentions.

The second type also includes individuals who have no evidence of citizenship, but unlike the first group, they have spent most of their lives in Pakistan. Many are born to parents who were illegal entrants to the country. Unlike many in the earlier category, the vast majority of these individuals are engaged in lawful economic and social activities. Many of them are sweepers, day-wage labourers and helpers in different hazardous pursuits (such as cleaning of underground oil tanks in industrial areas). These individuals are often underpaid and mistreated by their employers. The administrative responses to the plight of the shelterless are grossly limited. The federal government has recently announced social support programmes. However, their access is limited to those possessing valid CNICs and other administrative verification. The third type comprises aliens with or without evidence of entry to Pakistan. Very few of them possess the identification document from the National Alien Registration Authority (Nara). The people interviewed in this category include folks of Bengali origin engaged in shrimp cleaning in Machar Colony, Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar living in Orangi and Korangi, and Afghans informally living in the wholesale vegetable and fruit market along the Super Highway. The fourth type is people who migrate to Karachi and claim to possess CNICs — some of which have been illegally procured by paying bribes to the concerned officials. These individuals are engaged in different vocations and labour options in the city.

The last type of shelterless individuals have legally-obtained CNICs and, therefore, more legal rights. They are first- or second-generation residents of Karachi. Some of them have ended up on the streets because of broken families, family feuds, becoming orphans, economic compulsions or psychological conditions. During the study, many drug addicts were spotted on the streets. But most of them were not in the state of mind to discuss their predicaments or speak coherently. A few of them were hostile and agitated. They would usually become violent when approached for a discussion.

THEIR CITY Every day for the shelterless is a struggle, but they make do and find ways to survive in Karachi. Some develop working relationships with residents, social, religious and commercial enterprises to access water, sanitation and storage facilities. Local mosques are increasingly frequented for water, toilets and even food during Ramazan. Interestingly, most mosques do not stop people of other faiths from accessing these facilities in their premises. However, none of the mosques allow the shelterless to sleep inside. Roadside restaurants and eateries also lend support in the form of occasional free food and allowing the shelterless to store their meagre belongings from time to time. Affluent people also give money to these restaurants to feed a certain number of needy people on a regular basis.

Still, many predicaments continue to impact the shelterless. During extreme winters, summers and rainfall, life becomes even more difficult for them. Often their quilts are stolen while they are asleep. Sudden showers, which were frequent during 2019 in Karachi, force the shelterless to relocate to various makeshift options. The prevalence of diseases and sickness is also rampant among this population. When they get sick, they suffer for a long time due to inappropriate diets, lack of access to proper medicines and an absence of awareness. Intergroup disputes, bullying, sexual harassment and intimidation by criminal rings are other common problem faced by those living in parks, playgrounds and on footpaths. These individuals are also frequently used as scapegoats in legal matters. In brawls, the relatively powerful criminals succeed in getting the shelterless implicated in criminal cases. ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSES The administrative responses to the plight of the shelterless are grossly limited. The federal government has recently announced social support programmes. However, their access is limited to those possessing valid CNICs and other administrative verification.

On the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan in September 2018, Panah Gahs or shelter facilities are being set up in different cities, including Karachi. The facilities include a tent erected mostly in front of public hospitals where a large number of patients and

their family members come to visit for treatment. Basic bedding material and free food is supplied by local charities. A Panah

Gah has, in fact, opened near Civil Hospital in Karachi South. About 100-120 people, mostly the accompanying family members of

the patients, are allowed to avail the services at the Panah Gah. The beneficiaries of this facility say that they were satisfied.

However, many believe that this project will be short-lived and will last only as long as the present government does. In any case, the major contribution in running and managing such facilities is made by the local charities that were already providing these services. The government has only added a tent and the comfort of bedding material. Nonetheless, these facilities are particularly useful for elderly people who accompany sick patients for longer periods of time.

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Other programmes such as the BISP and the recently devised Ehsaas programme are also dependent on administrative scrutiny. Most of the shelterless neither know about these options nor possess the documentary support to access them. As the detailed census results, which include numbers of individuals sleeping on the streets and other such spaces, have yet to be released, it is clear that we are a long way from even understanding the shelterless population problem in Karachi, let alone addressing it. (By Dr Noman Ahmed Dawn EOS, 01, 23/02/2020)

Plan for new city

In a fashion typical of governments in developing countries where development plans suffer delays and hiccups and much money is lost in the process, the PTI-led government in Punjab is taking steps to revive the plan for building a new city near the Ravi river. The plan was conceived during 2002-7 when Chaudhry Pervez Elahi was chief minister of the province, and he had met foreign investors to solve the problems of Lahore arising from increasing population and shrinking space, environmental issues and other constraints. Some initial work had also started but things stopped after his government left office. When Shehbaz Sharif took over, a special unit was created in the Lahore Development Authority for the project. Experts and consultants from within the country and abroad were also hired. A foreign firm was hired as consultants. It reportedly received around Rs300 million for consultation work, which included providing services to various departments. When the government of prime minister Nawaz Sharif ended, the special unit in the LDA was closed down. After remaining in limbo for years, now the provincial government is planning to prepare a new feasibility report of the proj ect though it is estimated that the scheme will cost a large amount all over again. Under the plan, the flow of the river was to be temporarily stopped and 44,150 acres around it were to be acquired for residential and commercial development work. High -rise buildings of up to 25 storeys were planned on the waterfront and less high buildings behind them. Horizontal residential buildings and commercial stores and other businesses were planned farther inside. Now the Punjab chief secretary has given the task of preparing a fresh feasibility report to the housing department and issued instructions to other relevant departments. There is no denying the fact that in cities housing needs to be provided through vertical expansion due to the limitation of land. (By Editorial The Express Tribune, 16, 25/02/2020)

28 key officials of SBCA suspended on corruption charges

Almost a month after the Supreme Court directed the chief minister to remove the acting director general of the Sindh Building Control Authority over mushroom growth of illegal structures in Karachi, the provincial government on Tuesday suspended over two dozen senior officials, including directors and deputy directors, on ―charges of corruption and malpractices‖ and set up a committee for inquiry against all the officials, a notification and sources said. They said the fresh move to suspend a total of 28 officials from the authority was part of the Supreme Court orders which strongly criticised the SBCA‘s role and questioned the credibility of its officials, who failed to regulate the building bylaws in the city and allowed illegal structures in the metropolis. The notification issued by the Sindh local government and housing and town planning department also announced an inquiry committee which would conduct an inquiry into the role of the suspended officials. ―The suspended officials include Adil Umar and Jamil Memon, directors of the SBCA,‖ said a source citing details of the notification. ―Among other officials there are five deputy directors, 14 assistant directors and seven building inspectors. The committee which is tasked with an inquiry against the 28 officials is headed by Chiraghuddin Hingoro, special secretary for the local government and housing and town planning department. It has been directed to complete its report within six weeks.‖ The Supreme Court last month had criticised the SBCA over the mushroom growth of unauthorised structures in the provincial metropolis and directed the chief minister to immediately remove the acting director general and other top officials of the SBCA, which was notified within the next few hours. Supreme Court had sought removal of the acting DG and other officials over the mushroom growth of illegal structures in Karachi A three-judge SC bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, had observed that apparently the SBCA had compromised on the rules and pushed Karachi to the brink of disaster, adding that its director general had become a rubber stamp as he was unable to take decisions as per law. It said SBCA officials were allegedly involved in illegal activities and taking bribes and other government officials were also supporting them. The court had also directed the Sindh chief secretary to take over the affairs of the SBCA and produce before it on next hearing all approvals given by the authority for the construction of buildings, apart from ground-plus-two-storey ones. ―The officials who were suspended included those facing inquiry by the National Accountability Bureau but, interestingly, they were serving as officers till the notification of their suspension was issued,‖ said a source. ―For instance the NAB, Karachi, last year claimed to have seized valuables worth millions of rupees during a raid at the house of senior SBCA officer Adil Umar, who was then looking after the authority as its deputy director general. The NAB after the raid shared details saying that during a search of

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his residence, several luxury vehicles and assets worth over a billion rupees were recovered that appeared to have been acquired from ill-gotten money accumulated through embezzlement of the national exchequer.‖ (By Imran Ayub Dawn, 15, 04/03/2020)

Verdict on builder's acquittal plea in land scam case reserved

An accountability court on Wednesday reserved its verdict on an acquittal application moved by a builder in a case pertaining to alleged illegal amalgamation of prime commercial land and its transfer to Bahria Town for a high-rise building. Former Karachi mayor and Pak Sarzameen Party chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal, former executive district officer Iftikhar Kaimkhani and five others are facing trial in the case. On Wednesday, accountability court-III judge Sher Bano Karim took up an acquittal application moved by the defence counsel for an alleged absconding suspect, Zain Malik, son-in-law of real estate tycoon Malik Riaz. Advocate Amir Raza Naqvi had moved the application under Section 4-B of the National Accountability (Amendment) Ordinance, 2019 read with Section 365-K of the Criminal Procedure Code, submitting that his client was under treatment abroad and unable to appear before the court. In the plea, the counsel submitted that no case was made out against his client in view of Section 4-B of the amended ordinance of the accountability law since Zain Malik had purchased the land in question from M/s DJ Builders and Developers and then sold it back to them. He further submitted that the transaction was between two private parties and since no government official was involved in it, the provisions of the NAO 1999 under which the reference was filed were not attracted in the present case to the extent of his client. Therefore, the court was asked to acquit Zain Malik in the present reference. On the other hand, NAB special public prosecutor Shahbaz Sahotra contended that the acquittal plea of the suspect was not maintainable as the reference was filed under Section 18-G of the NAO, 1999 and the court had taken cognizance of the offences alleged on the suspects in terms of Section 18-A. He added that in terms of Article 264 of the Constitution as well as Section 6 of the General Clauses Act, 1897, the NAO 1999 had a retrospective effect, adding that the superior courts in their judgements had upheld that the cases could be tried in which the law had retrospective effect. Therefore, he pleaded to the court to dismiss the acquittal application as being not maintainable. After hearing arguments from both sides, the judge reserved her order to be announced on March 25. Earlier, Mr Kamal and others appeared before the court on bail. In June last year, the administrative judge had admitted the reference against Mr Kamal, then district coordination officer of Karachi Fazlur Rehman, Mr Kaimkhani, district officer Mumtaz Haider, then additional DO Syed Nishat Ali and then sub-registrar-II, Clifton, Nazir Zardari. Five builders — Mr Malik, Mr Dawood, Mr Yaqoob, Mohammad Irfan and Mohammad Rafiq — all associated with DJ Builders and Developers have also been nominated in the reference. According to the reference, Mr Malik and others associated with DJ Builders in connivance with Mr Kamal, ex-DCO Rehman and others unlawfully got amalgamated the plots and 102 stalls and subsequently got them transferred in favour of Bahria Town Private Limited through a conveyance deed without obtaining permission from the Karachi Development Authority. (By Newspaper‘s Staff Reporter Dawn, 16, 05/03/2020)

Family members torn between hope and despair at site of collapsed buildings

On a footpath on the road adjacent to the three collapsed buildings in Rizvia Society on Thursday sat Abdul Rasheed and his

extended family. An elderly woman in a black abaya was being helped and urged to sip water while she wept uncontrollably, begging all those around her to go and find the children. A man was telling her all would be well, that God willing the family would have survived and they would soon hear something positive from the rescuers. Abdul Rasheed later told Dawn that he was at work in Keamari when he received a call from

a neighbour a little after 11.30am to say that their building had collapsed and his family was trapped under the rubble. ―I called my brother, who informed the rest of the family as I rushed here. They have found my six-year-old daughter Alina, who was rushed to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. One of my brothers is there and he says she has a fracture in her

foot. The rest of my family — my wife, my 14-year-old daughter Sarah, 12-year-old Hira and two-year-old son Abdul Rauf — are still trapped under the rubble. Our flat in the six-storey building was on the fourth floor,‖ he said.

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―They are pulling out people, some dead, some alive. My other brother Abdul Bari is near where the rescuers are at work and he says he just saw a hand, which he thinks might be my wife‘s, and he saw it move. Please pray, please pray my family is safe,‖ he said.

Suddenly he saw another female relative coming towards him with tears in her eyes. He ran to her with crazed eyes and screamed at her to tell him what happened. Had she seen or heard something he had not. The poor woman quickly wiped the tears away and quickly calmed him down repeating again and again that she knew nothing more than what he knew. She was just crying because she was frustrated and wanted to see their family safe and sound as he did. ‘It is common practice in this area to bribe officials to look the other way even if they know of this kind of illegal construction’

The three buildings looked like a collapsed house of cards, one overlapping over the other with the first two buried in the ground. There were frustrated onlookers who wanted to know why the rescuers were digging out the rubble with small spades. It was explained to them that big machines may injure the people trapped underneath. Waqas Ahmed, who was there with his uncle, said that his aunt Dr Ghazala Shahid was a homeopath, who was just wrapping up and about to leave when the tragedy happened. ―We were on our way to pick her up ... we didn‘t expect this. Now we are praying for her life,‖ said the boy, who added that there were several patients waiting in the clinic‘s waiting area who are also trapped inside the collapsed building. Khatoon was there praying for her sister Dr Khairun. ―I tried calling my sister, who also works at the homeopathic clinic, located in the basement of the second building. The phone was ringing, but I couldn‘t hear the bell anymore. Her phone is off now. My other sister Dr Zaitoon also works with her, but she was home today. We lost our father very early, and I brought up my two younger sisters like my daughter. I can‘t lose Khairun,‖ she said with a lump forming in her throat. Another young man said that there is a woman who is in the vegetable produce business who also lives in the first building. ―When her relatives called her, she answered her phone and said that she was in a very dark place. But later her phone went dead. Her relatives have tried calling her several times but it is no use,‖ he said. Sattar, another resident of one of the three buildings, said that his brothers Farrukh and Khurram with mother Akhtar Bibi were trapped inside. ―My wife and myself were out for grocery. And my mother and two brothers were at home,‖ he said before clashing with the police for not allowing him to go near the collapsed buildings. The place was buzzing with police, army and Rangers personnel, all helping in search and rescue with the other first responders. ―We are trying to explain to the people to stay away and let the experts do their job, but they refuse to understand. Yes, we get the frustration of the relatives of the people trapped but there are also so many people here who are just onlookers,‖ said a police constable. Syed Nasir Ali, a resident of the area, said that there had been no power supply in the area for two hours. And then when electricity was restored, they heard a loud explosion. ―We thought that the area PMT had exploded. But when we came running outside this scene awaited us,‖ he said gesturing to the collapsed buildings. ―It is a sad state of affairs. You see five to six storey high buildings on plots as small as 40 or 70 square yards. The building which fell first on to its neighbouring building making it fall on the building next to it was initially only a single-storey building built on 70 square yards. It was built some 15 years ago. Then its owner started adding more floors to it even though its foundation was not designed to take this much load. It is common practice in this area to bribe officials in the Sindh Building Control Authority to look the other way even if they know of this kind of illegal construction,‖ he said. Another resident of the area, 12-year-old Azaan Najam, said that he had come to his school which is closed due to the coronavirus scare to get some books. ―I live two streets away and many of my friends are still buried in the rubble. We are all home because our schools are closed,‖ he said. Suddenly there were whistles and volunteers rushing on to the road yelling at the people gathered there to clear the road for the ambulances to pass. There were children in a couple of ambulances, then one saw a body covered with a sheet in another. Abdul Rasheed ran to the road from the footpath to see if they had his family members. Someone told him that one ambulance had an injured two-year-old boy and a teenage girl and he looked hopeful. Then he was told that the dead body in the other ambulance was that of a woman, which was enough to make him lose consciousness. The people around him caught his limp body as he collapsed. The rescue work picked up speed as dusk approached. The rescuers wanted to find as many people as they could while they had light. The search and rescue work continued till late into the evening. (By Shazia Hasan Dawn, 15, 06/03/2020)

Building Collapse A NUMBER of people lost their lives on Thursday when a five-storey residential building collapsed in Karachi, causing two other adjoining housing structures to cave in. The responsibility for the deaths of at least 17 men, women and children lies with those who undertook the illegal construction of a sixth storey on the small plot as well as the officials who turned a blind eye to the activity. Such incidents have, unfortunately, become far too frequent in the metropolis and other big cities of the country. Last year in

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December, a similar six-storey residential complex came crashing down in Karachi‘s Ranchore Line area, though miraculously no loss of life was reported. These all too frequent tragedies reflect poorly on the Sindh Building Control Authority and lay bare its contribution to the housing challenges in a city of 20m. What makes the situation even more alarming is that the apartment building that collapsed on Thursday was neither old, nor built on unregulated premises. The five-storeyed Fatima building was built around three years ago in the planned Rizvia Society. The illegal construction of an additional storey on top apparently led to the weakening of the entire structure. Had the building authorities been vigilant and stopped the construction, these deaths could have been avoided. Moreover, if the authorities allow such a careless approach to building in areas that are planned residential neighbourhoods, how would they prevent the construction of death traps in the city‘s unregulated localities that house millions of people from the poorer segments of society? The mammoth problem of unregulated structures and the SBCA‘s controversial role has not gone unnoticed. In fact, recently, the Supreme Court, too, commented on the issue during a hearing, and severely criticised the SBCA for allowing the construction of multistorey buildings on small plots. The court ordered the Sindh chief minister to overhaul the body and instructed that top SBCA officials including the director general be removed. Though the SBCA is largely to blame for this incident, a good part of the blame rests with successive governments that failed to come up with a comprehensive development plan for the largest city of the country. The Sindh government has taken the right step by registering a case on behalf of the hapless families who lost their loved ones, but now it must scale up its efforts for conducting a fair inquiry into the incident as well as identifying similarly dangerous buildings across the city. (By Editorial Dawn, 08, 07/03/2020)

Death toll from Rizvia building collapse rises to 17 As rescue services retrieved several more bodies from the rubble of the residential building that collapsed on Thursday in Rizvia Society, the death toll from the tragedy rose to 17, while 32 others were injured. The collapsed building left the adjoining building bent and it is feared that it may collapse, while several parts of a third building have also collapsed. Additionally, a fourth building has been declared ‗dangerous.‘ Rescue operations by the police, Rangers, army, fire department, Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and relief services continued the day after the collapse of the five-storey building. The efforts were temporarily halted late on Thursday night due to the darkness, but were soon resumed with the help of streetlights, generators and searchlights. The casualties include four children, as well as eight women and four men. Between late Thursday night and Friday evening, three bodies, identified as Farrukh Usman, 35, his one-year-old son Hassan, and his sister-in-law, Noreen, were retrieved. Many of those injured were discharged from the hospital after receiving first aid. However, three people are still undergoing treatment at Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH). Meanwhile, nine people, including four members of a single family, were laid to rest after funeral prayers on Friday. They included Shahila Abdul Rasheed, her two daughters Saira, 15, and Hira, 13, and her son Abdul Rauf, 2. Still missing It is also feared that more people are trapped under the rubble. Ishrat Bibi had been missing since the building collapsed, according to her husband, Syed Muhammad Raza. He told The Express Tribune that his wife had left their house to shop for groceries on Thursday but did not return. Saying that he had searched all the hospitals to no avail, he added that he was wor ried she was also in the debris. ―Seven people are still missing, but it is premature to say whether they were trapped under the debris or not,‖ said Rehan Hashmi, a senior municipal official. Narrow alleyways restricted the access of heavy machinery to the disaster site, which meant that much of the rubble was being cleared manually, slowing down rescue efforts. Case registered An FIR, citing negligence, damage to private and public property and deaths due to the incident, was registered against the building‘s owner at the Rizvia police station on behalf of the government. The owner is currently on the run. According to the FIR, the owner, Javed Khan, had committed criminal negligence in the construction of the building, due to which the structure had collapsed. It further states that the building was constructed in violation of regulations, for which various government officials are to blame. According to sources in the police, Khan was also injured in the incident, and was taken to the hospital. When the police tri ed to locate him, he had fled. A thorough probe Sindh Information, Local Government and Housing and Town Planning Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, meanwhile, said on Thursday that severe action would be taken against anyone found to be involved in the tragedy. Visiting the location, he said that he would personally supervise the investigation, while the Sindh government was monitoring the treatment of the injured to ensure they received the best possible care.

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Talking to the media, he promised a thorough probe into the ‗regrettable incident‘ and stated that action would be taken against whoever was found to be responsible, whether it was the builder or the SBCA. He further said that the government would ensure that no such incident occurred in the future. (By Sajid Rauf The Express Tribune, 04, 07/03/2020)

Police launch probe into building collapse tragedy as death toll rises to 17

Police on Friday launched an investigation into Thursday‘s building collapse incident in Gulbahar (Golimar) area as its death toll has risen to 17 with the recovery of three more bodies from the debris. According to officials and rescue services, it is feared that there may be some more people under the debris, alive or dead, as manual work for removing the debris continued till evening on Friday. The Rizvia Society police said that the ground-plus-four-storey building had collapsed and fallen upon three other adjacent buildings, turning all the four structures into rubble. The police have registered an FIR against the owner and builder of the building and officials of government departments concerned. City police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon told Dawn that ―we have lodged an FIR‖ and that no one had so far been arrested in the case. ―We will wait till findings of the inquiry committee are released,‖ he added. Rescuers fear more people may be trapped under the rubble An area police officer said that the FIR had been registered on behalf of the state through an inspector, Aijaz Memon, against the owner and builder of the building, Mohammed Javed Khan, and officials of the departments concerned. The case has been registered under sections 322 (punishment for qatl-bis-sabab), 119 (public servant concealing design to commit offence which it is his duty to prevent), 337-H (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent act), 427 (mischief causing damage) 109 (punishment of abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code. According to the FIR reviewed by Dawn, the complainant officer said that he received information at 1225 on Thursday that a building had collapsed in Gulbahar-2. The officer said when he along with a police party reached the area he saw four multistorey buildings had collapsed. People of the area had launched a rescue operation and they were taking out the bodies and the injured from the debris. Funeral and reaction The funeral prayer for four members of a family who lost their lives in the incident was held after Friday prayers at Noman Masjid at Lasbela Chowk. The four deceased were identified as Shehla Farhan and her three children, two teenage daughters Sara and Hira, and one-and-a-half-year-old son Abdul Rauf. The funeral was attended by a large number of people, including Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar and some other politicians. Former mayor of Karachi and leader of his own faction of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Dr Farooq Sattar believed that this tragedy was the outcome of the ―activities of mafias‖. He claimed low-quality material was being used for construction of multistorey buildings. Mr Sattar said he would not blame only the SBCA, adding that in the past 30 years leaders of political parties were involved in illegal constructions. He appreciated efforts of Pakistan Army and other services in the rescue operation. Residents told the media that illegal constructions and use of substandard material were common in Waheedabad area of Gulbahar. They said that up to four-storey buildings were being constructed on small plots in congested streets. They alleged that people involved in illegal constructions was protected by police and SBCA officials. According to an Edhi Foundation spokesperson and hospital officials, bodies of a one-year-old baby, a man and an 80-year-old woman were taken out from the debris on Friday morning. Police surgeon Dr Qarar Ahmed Abbasi has confirmed that the police have received bodies of 17 persons, including women and children. He said 17 other people were injured in the incident. (By Imtiaz Ali Dawn, 15, 07/03/2020)

Two days on, people still trapped in Rizvia rubble Two days after a residential building collapsed in Rizvia Society, rescuers were still struggling to f ind several people trapped in the debris on Saturday. Meanwhile, the death toll for the tragedy rose to 19 as two more bodies were retrieved from the rubble.

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Those still missing include five members of the family of retired police official Muhammad Ali Veesar. While two of his sons, Zahid and Rashid, survived the incident, leaving home for work in the morning a few hours before the incident, Veesar, his wi fe, three daughters and two other sons were in their apartment on the first floor of the building when it caved in. On Thursday evening, rescue teams recovered the body of Iqra, 16, while another body, that of Tariq, 25, was retrieved late on Saturday evening. The rest of the family – Veesar, Zubeda Khatoon, 15-year-old Sumera, 15-year-old Kainat and 30-year-old Sohail – were still under the debris until the filing of this report, with several of their relatives helping officials in the rescue efforts. Veesar, 62, was a sub-inspector in the Sindh police at the time of his retirement. The family, original ly from Shikarpur, had been residing in the provincial capital for the last 20 years. ―The family could have survived if they [the administration] had better coordinated the efforts,‖ said Veesar‘s nephew Khalid . ―I did not see them trying to rescue people alive,‖ he further alleged. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Khalid said that he had repeatedly requested officials to expedite rescue operations to maximise the chances of survival of those still trapped in the debris. ―The rescue work was very slow and the administration has not taken it seriously,‖ he said, weeping. ―We are helping my cousins and trying to give them hope. We are waiting for a miracle.‖ Meanwhile, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation medical and health services director Dr Salma Kausar stated that 17 bodies had been brought to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital until Friday. Officials stated that rescue operations by the police, Rangers, army, fire department, Sindh Building Control Authority (SCBA) and relief services had been ongoing since the incident occurred, leaving many residents, including at least four children and eight women, dead. Narrow alleyways restricted the access of heavy machinery to the disaster site, which meant that much of the rubble was being cleared manually, slowing down rescue efforts. It is not yet confirmed how many people are still trapped in the building. Protest The families of the deceased and area residents staged a protest against SCBA officials, demanding the arrest of the building ‘s owner and compensation for those who lost their loved ones and property in the incident. They further demanded an inquiry into the negligence of SCBA officials, maintaining that a case should be registered against those government officials who permitted the illegal construction. The collapsed five-storey building left the adjoining building bent and it is feared that it may collapse, while several parts of a third building have also caved in. Additionally, a fourth building has been declared ‗dangerous.‘ On Friday, an FIR, citing negligence, damage to private and public property and deaths due to the incident, was registered against the building‘s owner at the Rizvia police station on behalf of the government. The owner is currently on the run. According to the FIR, the owner, Javed Khan, had committed criminal negligence in the construction of the building, due to which the structure had collapsed. It further states that the building was constructed in violation of regulations, for which various government officials are to blame. Sources said that police have not traced Khan, adding that he managed to escape from the hospital as he was also among the injured in the incident. The Rizvia SHO and other police officials were unable to comment on the arrest or other matters pertaining to the incident. (By Sameer Mandhro The Express Tribune, 04, 08/03/2020)

Eight more bodies recovered from debris as death toll from building collapse rises to 27

Eight more bodies were recovered from the debris of the collapsed buildings in Gulbahar, Nazimabad, on Sunday, the fourth day of the tragic incident, bringing the death toll to 27, including seven members of a family, said government and rescue services officials. Rescue services workers continued removing the rubble with the help of heavy machinery and till evening all debris had been removed. The dead whose bodies were recovered on Sunday include a couple and their two children, whose three other family members‘ bodies were retrieved a day earlier from the same rubble. One lady doctor‘s body was recovered on Sunday. The lady doctor worked in a clinic at the ground floor of the collapsed building.

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On Thursday, at 12.20pm, a ground-plus-four-storey building collapsed and fell on three other buildings which also caved in, causing loss of human lives. Police surgeon Dr Qarar Ahmed Abbasi said that since late Saturday night and till Sunday evening, they received seven bodies at the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital brought from the collapsed buildings near Rizvia Society. Two separate committees formed to probe causes of building collapse, investigate approved building plan and fix responsibility Among the dead are Mohammed Ali, 60, his wife Zubaida, 45, their son, Sohail, 27 and daughter Kainat Ali, 17. Faisal Edhi of the Edhi Foundation told Dawn that three bodies of the same family were retrieved on Saturday and Friday. He revealed that Mohammed Ali was a police officer, who hailed from Shikarpur. The Edhi Foundation arranged their ‗Ghusl‘ at their morgue in Sohrab Goth and sent seven coffins for burial at their native town in Shikarpur at the foundation‘s expense. On Sunday the people whose bodies were retrieved include Dr Ghazala, her nephew Sufiyan Shaikh, 26, who had come from Hyderabad to meet her aunt when the building collapsed, Kausar Jehan, 55 and Khairunnisa, 40. Area residents and the police said that Dr Ghazala worked at the clinic on the ground floor of the building. The clinic was owned by the owner and builder Javed‘s wife Dr Fatima. The sources said that the owner, Javed, who has been nominated in the FIR over charges of manslaughter, was present in his building on Thursday, when it collapsed. He reportedly got injured but managed to escape from the hospital, the sources said. Teams of Pak Army, Rangers, police, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation and welfare organisations continued rescue work on Sunday and removed the debris. The commissioner of Karachi visited the site of the collapsed building. According to the officials, the rubble was removed at Sunday evening. Residents told media that the owners/builders with the connivance of officials concerned had constructed up to four, five, six and seven storey buildings on up to 40, 60 and 80 square yards plots putting lives of residents in danger. Technical body formed Newly appointed DG of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) Dr Nasim-ul-Ghani Sahito has established a committee ‗to probe the incident of collapse of building situated on Plot No.95/1 400 quarters adjacent to Rizvia Society, Liaquatabad Town,‘ it emerged on Sunday. The body is led by director structure of the SBCA Benish Shabbir and its members are Nadeem Ahmed, director (Baldia Town) of SBCA and Noman Ahmed, head of architectural and planning department of NED University. According to terms of references, the committee shall submit the report on the cause of the collapse with reference to soil test report, where the building stood. It shall also submit the ‗cube test of the concrete‘, ‗strength of material that is used in the building and other cause including age of the building‘, according to contents of the notification reviewed by Dawn on Sunday. The body has been directed to submit their findings by March 12. Underground water Meanwhile, Prof Dr Noman Ahmed, member of the body, told Dawn that they would start a probe on Monday. He said that he would suggest the authorities concerned to include independent experts, particularly civil engineers, in the committee, who have expertise in the structure of buildings. He said he would also propose to include testing of other buildings in the same area to prevent such tragedies in future. Dr Ahmed said that it was obvious that the constructing one more upper floor on the collapsed ground plus four storey building was a ‗dangerous‘ thing. He said that in such areas where there was shortage of water, the people used to dig up wells up to 200 feet deep to extract underground water, which results in soil displacement. And when water was being extracted from such wells, it created vibrations that adversely affect the structure of the buildings. The NED Prof observed that it would require collections of facts/evidences from the spot and a lot of laboratory tests to ascertain exact cause of the collapse of the building. Commissioner’s committee

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The commissioner of Karachi has also formed a five-member committee led by the DC Central to ascertain whether the building had an approved plan of design; to ascertain as to why despite faulty structure the building continued to stood in such populated area; and fix the responsibility. (By Imtiaz Ali Dawn, 13, 09/03/2020)

Building collapse SEVERAL days have passed since the tragic Gulbahar building collapse in Karachi; bodies continue to be retrieved from the rubble; and the death toll keeps rising with each passing day. On Saturday, a teenage boy was miraculously found alive during the search-and-rescue operation. Others were not so lucky, with eight bodies, including children and the elderly, pulled out from underneath the debris on Sunday. At the last count, 27 people had been confirmed dead, including seven members of a single family. The building is believed to have collapsed when the owner, who now has an FIR registered against him, began ―illegal‖ and ―unauthorised‖ work: first by constructing an additional floor, and then by building additional pillars to strengthen the foundation after cracks began to appear in the edifice. Such tragedies are all too common, particularly in the poorly planned, congested cities of the country. In January, a four-storey building collapsed in Sukkur, leading to the death of several people. Prior to that, another building collapsed in Karachi‘s Ranchhore Lines area. Despite repeated instances, lessons are not learnt, and as one expert put it, these buildings are ―ticking time bombs‖ for the residents living inside them. Moreover, such tragedies are entirely avoidable, and the direct result of greed and incompetence on the part of builders and building control authorities that turn a blind eye to or even abet such careless construction work. But there has been criticism of the rescue operation as well, with residents taking to the streets to protest over the slow place and apathy they were made to witness in recent days. One cannot help but wonder how many more lives may have been saved if the rescue efforts were carried out in a swifter manner. According to the protesters, there are still people — possibly alive — underneath the ruins of the fallen building. Whatever excuses are offered this time around, Karachi‘s residents have every right to be angry. (By Editorial Dawn, 08, 10/03/2020)

Three SBCA officials held over building collapse amid protest

The Rizvia Society police on Wednesday claimed to have arrested three officials on charges of their involvement in the collapse of a multistorey building in Gulbahar last Thursday that claimed the lives of 27 people, including women and children, and caused injuries to 23 others, officials said. They added that concerted efforts were under way to arrest the main suspect, the owner-cum-builder of the collapse building, while victims and residents of the area protested on a second consecutive day on Wednesday for justice for the deceased and compensation for the loss of human lives and destruction of property. The police have registered the case against the owner, Mohammed Javed, and officials of the relevant institutions on manslaughter and other charges on behalf of the state through an area police officer, Aijaz Memon. ―We have arrested three officials of the Sindh Building Control Authority over their involvement in the building collapse case,‖ confirmed Rizvia Society station investigation officer (SIO), Agha Amir. The held officials were identified as Sarfaraz Jamali, Mansoor Qureshi and Irfan Ali. The investigation officer said that they were making concerted efforts to arrest the main suspect, Javed, who has escaped after the tragedy. The officer hoped that he would be arrested very soon. The police have launched an investigation into the incident and were collecting statements of the witnesses. Separately, the commissioner of Karachi and director general of the SBCA had set up two committees led by experts and officials concerned to probe the causes of the building collapse, ascertain whether the building had an approved plan or design and fix responsibility. Meanwhile, the residents and families of the victims on Wednesday held a protest demonstration in the Gulbahar area. This was the second day that the affected people were holding a demonstration to draw the attention of the authorities towards their issues. The Rizvia Society police officer said that people, including relatives of the deceased, had been demanding that they should be provided alternative homes and compensation over the loss of lives of their dear ones. They also demanded arrest of the culprits responsible for the incident and provision of justice. The five-storey building had collapsed in Gulbahar on Thursday and fell on other adjacent multistorey buildings that also caved in. The police in their preliminary probe said that the owner was trying to construct an additional floor when the building developed cracks. The main suspect allegedly tried to erect additional pillars to support existing pillars to strengthen the structure when the building collapsed.

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(By Imtiaz Ali Dawn, 15, 12/03/2020)

SBCA officials arrested in building collapse probe Rizvia police claimed on Wednesday to have arrested three officials of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) as part of the investigation into the collapse of the five-storey building in Rizvia Society last week. At least 27 bodies were retrieved from the rubble during a four-day rescue operation, while several others were injured in the incident. Rizvia ASI Rana Muhammad Naeem confirmed that SBCA deputy director Sarfaraz Jameel, assistant director Maqsood Qureshi and building inspector Irfan Ali had been arrested as part of the probe. An FIR, citing negligence, damage to private and public property and deaths due to the incident, was previously registered against the building‘s owner at the Rizvia police station on behalf of the government. The owner, Javed Khan, is currently on the run. According to the FIR, Khan, had committed criminal negligence in the construction of the building, due to which the structure had collapsed. It further stated that the building was constructed in violation of regulations, pinning blame on various government officials. Protest called off Early on Wednesday morning, the residents of the fallen building called off the sit -in they had been staging on Nawaz Siddiq Ali Khan Road. Claiming that Khan had fled with the help of police officials, the protesters demanded that he should be arrested and publicly hanged for murdering 27 people, while the affected families should be compensated for their loss and provided accommodation. They also demanded that the illegal buildings present or being constructed in the area be razed, to prevent any further loss of life. The demonstrators further complained that no government officials came to their aid after the incident. One of them claimed that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who was always present at inauguration ceremonies, did not visit them in their time of difficulty, while those who came left after holding photo sessions. Pointing to the recent blaze that engulfed shanties under Teen Hatti Bridge, the residents said that those affected by the fire had been given accommodation, clothes and other assistance but no help had yet been given to those who survived the building collapse. ―People in the area are letting us stay with them, but how long can they bear this burden?‖ asked one of the protesters. (By Sajid Rauf The Express Tribune, 04, 12/03/2020)

Decade in review: From the land of Sufis to the land of fear Throughout its history, Sindh has always enjoyed the reputation of being a melting pot of different religions and civilisations where people peacefully coexisted for centuries. The last decade, however, almost stripped the province of its progressive and tolerant Sufi culture because of growing extremism. Incidents related to forced religious conversions, blasphemy and intolerance towards religious minorities ravaged the fabric of the Sindhi society. According to anthropologists, the mushrooming of unregulated religious seminaries, together with the rise of sectarian and militant groups, fueled extremism in the province, particularly after the 1980s. Forced conversions The members of the Hindu community, living in rural areas of Sindh, have become the most vulnerable ones. ―I cannot give you the exact figures related to Hindu girls who have been forcibly converted to Islam, but I can say that hundreds of such incidents took place in the last decade,‖ said Nand Kumar Goklani, a Hindu MPA of the Sindh Assembly. Keeping in view the gravity of the situation, Golkani, who belongs to the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), compiled a list of 41 Hindu girls and claimed that they were forced to change their religion in the last six months. The girls hailed from different areas of Sindh, including Badin, Tando Mohammad Khan, Mirpurkhas, Hyderabad, Sanghar, Sukkur, Ghotki, Thatta, Dadu and Jamshoro. Mian Abdul Haq, popularly known as Mian Mitthu of Dargah Bharchundi Shareef, Ghotki, and Pir Mohammad Ayub Jan Sarhandi — the gaddi nashin of the ―Sarhandi shrine‖ in Samaro tehsil of Umerkot district, have been accused of forcibly converting Hindu girls for more than a decade. Spiralling extremism Apart from forced conversions, banned extremist outfits, including Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama‘ah (ASWJ) and their offshoots, have spread their influence in the province. Many groups have also set up their chain of seminaries in Jacobabad, Ghotki Shikarpur, Tharparkar and Umerkot districts where a significant number of people belonging to the Hindu community reside.

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Speaking to The Express Tribune, rights activist and writer, Nisar Khokhar, said that at this crucial stage, several young people belonging to the Sindhi community have stood up to confront the challenge of spiralling extremism in the land of the Sufis. ―Those who are fighting extremism by spreading the message of co-existence, tolerance, peace and love are now themselves under attack,‖ he said, referring to a blasphemy case and the subsequent attack on folk singer Manjhi Faqir who has been spreading the messages of peace and love through his Sufi songs. ―The mob attacked Faqir in Sanghar last November after accusing his 16-year-old nephew of posting blasphemous content on Facebook. The same kind of incident happened in Ghotki in September 2019, where property worth millions of rupees was ransacked and several shops belonging to Hindu owners were looted after the principal of a private school was accused of committing blasphemy,‖ Khokhar said. ―The land of tolerance has been turned into the land of fear by extremists. After the attack on the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalander, the caretaker of Sachal Sarmast shrine has applied for political asylum. The government should take drastic measures to regulate seminaries, monitor and revise the curriculum therein and keep a vigilant eye on their activities,‖ he suggested. Unregulated seminaries Shedding light on the matter, senior journalist Manzoor Chandio said that huge sums of money in the name of charity is regularly collected by religious seminaries across Sindh, which further empowers them. ―No one knows whether the seminary is registered or not. Any group of bearded men can build and operate a madressa whenever and wherever they want. Sadly, no one can object even if clerics build their seminaries on public or private property. The clerics have gained significant influence across Sindh and their powerful rhetoric can easily corrupt the minds of young students,‖ Chandio said. Per official figures of the home department, there are around 9,590 madrassas in Sindh out of which only 6,503 are registered . After the attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar, a National Action Plan was devised under which provincial governments were asked to computerise the record of seminaries. Three years ago, the Sindh government announced that it has completed the geotagging of around 3,662 seminaries. The then chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah claimed that 2,122 madrassas in Karachi and 1,548 in Hyderabad have been geotagged. An update on the data, however, was never issued. In response, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA and leader of the Pakistan Hindu Council, Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani said that the federal government has been working on curriculum for the seminaries and a revised syllabus will be implemented across Pakistan with the consultation of the provincial governments. ―Once minor Hindu girls are abducted, most of them are kept in seminaries or dargahs where no one can dare to enter. The government is devising a mechanism to regulate these seminaries and will take action against those who violate the law,‖ he said, adding that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did not convert anyone on gunpoint, so the practice is completely oppos ite to the teachings of Islam. Accusations denied When approached, religious groups that are accused of indulging in forced conversion and other forms of extremist activities denied their involvement, adding that they have done nothing to violate religion or the law of the land. ―All allegations against us are unfounded. What can we do if an adult girl comes to the qazi for conversion?‖ Mian Mitthu questioned. ―The majority of Hindu girls who have converted to Islam and married Muslim men are leading happy and satisfying lives. The so-called civil society and rights activists baselessly campaign against forced conversions because most girls accept Islam without any pressure,‖ he claimed. Crackdown against extremists In July 2019, the federal government announced a crackdown against banned outfits upon the directives of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which placed Pakistan on its grey list over terrorism financing. The government promulgated the law to control banned outfits, seminaries and their schools. During a recent press briefing, Sindh government‘s spokesperson barrister Murtaza Wahab said that the provincial government has cancelled the registration of around 8,000 non-governmental organisations which were illegally generating funds. ―The situation has now changed and we are heading towards betterment,‖ he said. ―The government is working on the registration of seminaries and people will soon hear good news about reforms and modern syllabus for them,‖ he concluded. (By Hafeez Tunio The Express Tribune, 04, 12/03/2020)

Building safety

DESPITE the deaths of over two dozen people in the recent Gulbahar building collapse in Karachi, the official response has not

reflected the gravity of the issue. The Sindh government has ―reiterated‖ its resolve to take stern action against illegal construction while the Sindh Building Control Authority yet again let itself off the hook by declaring that the structure had been constructed illegally. Unsafe construction practices and similar building patterns are common in many parts of Karachi and Pakistan‘s other large cities. Single-storeyed structures are converted into multiple-level buildings as the need and greed of real-estate owners multiply. Besides

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being poorly engineered, these buildings also house dangerous businesses and establishments, such as LPG depots and storehouses of flammable merchandise or chemicals. This goes on right under the noses of the authorities. The rapid expansion of Karachi‘s built space alongside an exponential rise in the population has turned land into a precious commodity. People tend to converge at central locations for residential and commercial purposes, making land in these areas more sought-after, but causing an overall decline in the quality of spaces and structures. Instead of simply razing weak or old structures to the ground and evicting people from unregulated settlements — rendering thousands homeless — a holistic approach is needed to resolve the issue of densification and overcrowding. What Karachi urgently requires is an ‗urban renewal intervention‘ to readjust to its current commercial, industrial, recreational and geographical functions. With the rapid transit projects about to be completed, space would become even scarcer in the city‘s core. Karachi requires an urgent intervention. In the process of ‗urban renewal‘, spaces and structures are readjusted according to their current and future needs, while also fulfilling aesthetic requirements. However, in Karachi, where the list of developmental priorities is endless, this readjustment has to be politically and economically justified, while also being socially acceptable. This would require a long-term vision of redesigning spaces with attention to mobility patterns and their cost-effective use. The authorities can use the expertise of economists, urban planners, architects and engineers to maximise social benefits vis-à-vis monetary returns for the public. If homeowners and small-scale industrialists are shown tangible benefits, they are more likely to comply with the scheme. The first step could be to check the imbalance in real estate values in the wake of growing commercialisation. In many cases, residents of an affluent locality are compelled to move out if they find a hazardous enterprise being built next door. Similarly, when surrounded by dense residential or commercial development, livestock farms on the city‘s outskirts become a nuisance. There are also many cement factories and brick kilns situated within the city limits. These enterprises have to be replaced and periodically adapted. Squatters living alongside railway tracks, riverbeds and waterways have already been earmarked for relocation by the government. However, many of them have returned to their prior residences after not being compensated or not finding the alternate arrangement suitable. Moreover, the readjustment plans for inner city areas such as Lea Market junction, Empress Market and Lines Area must accommodate the people and traders evicted under the recent anti-encroachment drives. Also, recreational green spaces such as the Khori Garden need to be preserved for community activities in otherwise dense neighbourhoods. Unless the renewal plan is clear, invites participation from the public and applies equally to all, little improvement can be expected. The Sindh government and municipalities can jointly lead the formulation of policies, but divide the responsibility of implementation procedures at different stages of execution. They can test the waters through a couple of pilot projects in specific areas first, before venturing into a large-scale redesigning of any neighbourhood or commercial area. Other aspects of the urban renewal plan might include strengthening technical expertise at the municipal level for undertaking various tasks such as uplifting the facade of old buildings, amending structural designs for decaying structures and resolving traffic congestion. Municipalities can also initiate dialogue with the various sections of the public, homeowners, tenants, transporters, representatives of adjoining residential areas and small-scale businessmen, etc. The authorities will also need the help of civil society organisations to help the public understand the renewal plans and convince them to participate in the process. In their present state, the poorly engineered building blocks of Karachi are a ticking time bomb. Inaction is no longer an option. (By Dr Noman Ahmed Dawn, 09, 13/03/2020)

SHC stops shops’ evacuation for shopping mall construction The Sindh High Court (SHC) nullified on Friday a ruling of the cantonment board additional rent controller, pertaining to the evacuation of shops for the construction of multi-storey Askari-I shopping complex. In a written order issued on a plea filed by the shopkeepers, a single-member bench, comprising Justice Nazar Akbar, ordered that the shops were not to be evacuated by the tenants. Earlier, in 2014, the cantonment board had ordered the shopkeepers to evacuate the shops within 30 days. ―[But] how can a cantonment board additional rent controller decide [on the matter]?‖ Justice Akbar questioned, stating that he was not authorised to do so. However, contesting the plea, the Army Housing Directorate director-general (DG) maintained that the army was engaged in a war on terror and increasing the army‘s budget was essential to boosting the soldiers‘ morale, for which the building needed to be constructed. Basing his argument on these grounds, he moved the court to order the evacuation of shops. The court stated that the agreement signed between the shops‘ tenants and the landlord must be implemented, adding that a law protecting the rights of the tenants of commercial properties also existed. It ruled that the shops were not be evacuated. Out on bail Meanwhile, a two-member bench, comprising SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Shaikh and Justice Omar Sial, granted bail to Haji Adam Jokhio, a builder accused of defrauding citizens in the name of a residential project, against a surety of Rs10 million.

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During the hearing of the accused‘s bail plea, his counsel informed the court that money was being returned to 816 defrauded citizens and Jokhio was also cooperating with the National Accountability Burea (NAB) in the inquiry. ―But the court needs to be assured in writing that the victims will be duly compensated for their loss,‖ the bench stated. Rizvi further informed the court that his client was willing to reach a plea bargain with the NAB. The court granted Jokhio bail against a surety of Rs10 million and warned that it would be cancelled if any complaints were received against him. (By Our Correspondent The Express Tribune, 05, 14/03/2020)

Remand of building owner, three SBCA men extended

A judicial magistrate on Saturday extended till March 16 the physical remand of the owner of a multistorey building that collapsed in Gulbahar recently and caused death of 27 persons. The remand of his alleged accomplice and three officials of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) was also extended. After the end of their first remand, the investigating officer produced Mohammad Javed, Mohammad Younus and the three SBCA officials — deputy director Sarfaraz Jamali, assistant director Maqsood Qureshi and building inspector Irfan Ali — before the judicial magistrate (Central) and sought extension in their custody for further questioning. The IO submitted that during interrogations, Javed disclosed the names of some more SBCA officials and others who allegedly helped him in construction of the building. He further maintained that a letter had been sent to the SBCA director general to also make those officials part of the investigation. Suspects in TV anchor murder case to be indicted on 28

th

A lawyer for victims also moved an application requesting the magistrate to make the wife and daughter of Javed accused in the case since the building/plot was on their names. The magistrate remanded the suspect in police custody till March 16 and directed the IO to produce them again with a progress report on the next hearing. According to the prosecution, the five-storey residential building collapsed on March 5, resulting in the death of 27 people and causing injuries to over 20 others. The building was owned by Javed, who himself was engaged in the business of construction and he had constructed the building in question on plot Number 1/95 in Gulbahar-2 area, it added. The police nominated the owner as well as the officials of the building regulatory watchdog posted in the area in the case. A case was registered under Sections 322 (manslaughter), 119 (public servant concealing design to commit offence which it is his duty to prevent), 337-H (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent act), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code on behalf of the state. TV anchor’s murder case A sessions court on Saturday expressed annoyance over the repeated absence of a defence lawyer in a case pertaining to the murder of TV anchor Mureed Abbas and another man over a dispute involving shady investments worth billions of rupees. Police have booked and arrested prime suspect Atif Zaman and his brother Adil Zaman for killing his two business partners — Mureed Abbas and Khizar Hayat — in Khayaban-i-Bukhari, DHA, over a financial dispute, on July 9, 2019. The court observed that apparently delaying tactics were deliberately made on the part of the suspects and their lawyer, as the duo had not been indicted despite the passage of around seven months. When the case came up for hearing on Saturday, Advocate Fareed Ahmed Dayo, counsel for accused Atif Zaman, once again failed to appear in court. The court provided a lawyer to the suspect on state expenses and ruled that a further delay would not be tolerated and the suspects would be indicated on March 28. (By The Newspaper‘s Staff Reporter Dawn, 16, 15/03/2020)

Informal high-rises THE chief justice of Pakistan has ordered that the high-rises in Karachi‘s Punjab Colony and Delhi Colony should be demolished as they are illegal and structurally unsound and as such, they pose a threat to the people who live in them. However, there are thousands of similar high-rises in Karachi‘s katchi abadis and planned areas as well.

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The reason for the proliferation of high-rises in Karachi‘s low-income areas is simple — there is a demand for them. The only other affordable option that the poor have is to live on the city fringe which involves considerable cost and travel time in commuting to and from work. It also means that women in most cases cannot work and in the absence of educational institutions, children cannot go to school. So it becomes cheaper and more convenient to rent or purchase small apartments on instalments nearer to places of work, recreation, education, and health. Informal developers cater to this demand by extracting maximum value out of land and the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and cantonment board staff helps them informally through a well-established system of bribes and commissions, in violating by-laws and zoning regulations. The process of converting plots into high-rises is simple. An informal developer offers a katchi abadi house owner Rs4 lakh to Rs6 lakh (something he has never seen together in his life) and a couple of flats on the top floor of the building he intends to put up. The rest of the flats he rents, sells on instalments, or on pugri. Thousands of poor families have acquired homes in this manner. If this process can be semi-formalised, as I have suggested many times before, tens of thousands of homes can be provided for the poor at almost no cost to the government. This would involve permitting ground-plus-three floor structures to be built on katchi abadi plots according to three or four types of pre-designed, standardised plans along with structural drawings which the contractors would have to follow and which the SBCA and cantonment board would have to oversee. To purchase these apartments, people at present borrow money from wherever they can as a result of which most of them are in debt. To help them, the state can also provide a long-term loan through mortgage financing. In addition, ground-plus-three floor construction will also give us an acceptable urban density. The poor will pay the price for the failure of the government. Demolishing the existing structures without a rehabilitation plan for the affectees may be according to law but it does not serve the dictates of justice. The people who will be affected are poor and have borrowed heavily for purchasing these apartments. After demolition, they will have no option but to go back to another katchi abadi or to live under bridges or on the streets as has happened so often when settlements have been demolished. In addition, their children will no longer be able to go to school. They will pay the price for the failure of their governments to provide them with affordable homes, the corruption of the state machinery and laws that cannot provide them justice. What is required for the existing high-rises is a survey identifying those who are fully paid owners of the apartments, those who have purchased them on instalments, those on pugri, and those who are paying rent. The high-rise buildings should be demolished, but before that, their residents should be relocated to apartments in ground-plus-three buildings built on plots of single-storey katchi abadi homes. Legal action should be taken against the contractors who have built the high-rises and they should be forced to pay for the relocation-related construction and the rent, pugri, and instalments should not be paid to them but should be paid into a special fund which should be used for the upgrading of the settlement, creation of public spaces, and should be managed by neighbourhood committees of the settlement. If the contractors cannot be identified, then construction costs can be extracted from commercial development on the site or in some other katchi abadi. In the case of Delhi and Punjab colonies, this is possible because they are located on prime land and in an important corridor of the city. I feel that there is an existing system in place which is providing homes to people which the state and state-supported market has not been able to do. As a result, homelessness is rapidly increasing in Karachi and the number of people sleeping under bridges and pavements is multiplying rapidly. The system whereby people are acquiring homes in katchi abadis should be accepted and -supported so that it can be corruption-free and can create a better physical and social environment at least for those existing -settlements where it is possible and for future settlements as well. (By Arif Hasan Dawn, 09, 22/03/2020)

Building sealed as cracks appear Another residential building in Usman Goth, Liaquatabad, was declared dangerous on Sunday, as area residents notices cracks appearing in it. Deputy commissioner Farhan Ghani arrived with the police and sealed the ground plus two storey building after examination. Residents were asked to vacate the building, which was constructed 22 years ago, immediately. Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) officials also visited the building and declared that it would be inspected on Monday (today), after which they would decide whether or not it is to be demolished. According to sources, there are hundreds of buildings in Liaquatabad at high risk of collapsing, most of which were constructed illegally using substandard materials. The SBCA has resumed its crackdown against illegally constructed buildings, which, though it was at its peak before the ongoing lockdown, had ceased during the pandemic crisis. Taking advantage of the situation, the 'builders' mafia' had allegedly started operating again, drawing the government's attention. As a result, the Sindh government directed SBCA to restart partial operations, with town directors carrying out area visits on the orders of SBCA director-general Dr Naseem Sahito. At least six buildings were sealed and 15 people arrested for their involvement in illegal construction on Sunday. Sahito, meanwhile, has warned the public of the risk they pose to their families' lives by investing in illegal and substandard buildings. He said that all such buildings would be demolished and those responsible would be held accountable. (By Newspaper‘s Staff Reporter 05, 20/04/2020)

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Silence of Frere Hall History has come to a halt. This means historians and writers are waiting, even those who are already immersed in work, for the coronavirus pandemic to disappear from the face of the earth, after which they will recount their view of that part of mankind‘s collective history. Some of Karachi‘s colonial buildings — which up until the lockdown was enforced buzzed with activity — now stand quiet and lonely. One of them is Frere Hall. All those who have a keen interest in the development of Karachi as a bustling urban town are familiar with the name Bartle Frere, who was appointed commissioner of Sindh in 1850 and governor of Bombay in 1862. Frere Hall is a magnificent neo-Gothic building constructed in 1863 to recognise the services of Bartle Frere. It was opened to the public two years later. The reason for its construction was to use it as a civic gathering space. The commemorative plaque at its entrance reads: ―The Frere Hall Erected By the People of Sind As A Memorial of their Esteem and Gratitude to His Excellency the Honourable Sir Henry Bartle Edward Frere Governor of Bombay and Formerly Commissioner in Sind For His Able and Successful Administration of the Affairs of This Province During a Lengthened Rule of Nearly Nine Years. Building Commenced August 1863, Opened for the Public on the 10th Day of October 1865.‖ But a lesser known fact about the former governor of Bombay has to do with the world of literature. He had five children, the eldest of which was Mary Frere. She was born in 1845 and breathed her last in 1911. Mary was a poet and deeply interested in the cultural kaleidoscope that the subcontinent was and still is. Since her father had to travel a great deal within India, for he would be regularly posted to one part of the country to another, his children accompanied him. During one such trip, Mary had an ayah called Anna Liberata de Souza with her (this piece of information is available in books and on the internet). Her chitchat with the ayah enabled Mary to compile the tales that Anna told her into a book. This gave birth to the publishing of Old Deccan Days also known as Hindoo Fairy Legends in Southern India. One hasn‘t read the book because one doesn‘t know whether it‘s available in any of our libraries, including the one that‘s housed in the hall. Today, Frere Hall cuts a silent picture. No one is going to and coming from it. The building, with all its architectural and literary glory, is waiting for the resumption of normality so that historians can add another chapter about it in their books. (By Peerzada Salman Dawn, 14, 28/04/2020)

Land scams THE investigation into the fraudulent Fazaia Housing Scheme in Karachi seems to be picking up pace. On Thursday, the accountability court‘s administrative judge was informed that the NAB chairman had signed the reference with regard to the probe. The matter involves builders in connivance with certain PAF officials allegedly defrauding over 5,700 people to the tune of Rs18.2bn received as payment for units in the illegal housing scheme. Two builders were arrested late last year after a deluge of complaints by the investors, mainly oversees Pakistanis, emerged in the public domain. According to the probe, the suspects had entered into an agreement with the PAF and jointly launched a housing project in March 2015 to be developed, they claimed, over 400 acres in Malir district. The inquiry into the fraudulent housing scheme represents merely the tip of the iceberg in a cesspool of similar scams in Karachi. The undeveloped acres of Malir district, once the city‘s green belt, have been ravaged in the last few years by builders backed by patrons in the corridors of power. Local administrations and police are also vital cogs in the wheel, and provide the muscle to strong-arm indigenous communities into surrendering their land for housing schemes. More recently, the loot and plunder has extended further into adjoining Jamshoro district. The insatiable demand for housing by residents of an expanding metropolis creates a huge market — and the potential for eye-watering illegal profits procured through stealing public land. In the process, the coffers of land development authorities are deprived of revenue while avaricious bureaucrats make money hand over fist. Consider that while the Bahria Town Karachi scam was being rolled out over 25,000 plus acres in Malir, the Malir Development Authority did not have enough funds to pay salaries to its employees. Interestingly, even where fraudulent schemes are concerned, the paperwork is often duly filed, but upon a closer look one finds that rules and regulations have been blatantly flouted, and procedures bypassed. At the receiving end is a public misled by slick advertising campaigns that promise a sound investment and a home of one‘s own. From time to time, often at the prodding of a superior court order, ‗oversight‘ authorities will announce action against illegal housing schemes. However, only the certainty of punitive consequences can deter unscrupulous builders and their accomplices from their nefarious designs. That has yet to happen. (By Editorial Dawn, 06, 17/05/2020)

PAF, builders allowed to return money to victims of Fazaia Hosing Scheme

The Sindh High Court on Tuesday allowed the Pakistan Air Force and builders to settle all liabilities of the Fazaia Housing Scheme and refund money to all victims of the mega land scam within six months. The SHC also directed the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau to suspend the investigation into this matter and supervise and facilitate both sides to fulfil their agreements and ensure that all the affected people were paid in full and all other liabilities of the project settled within shortest period of time. A two-judge bench headed by Justice K.K. Agha also directed jail authorities to release two builders so that they may fulfil their obligations. The court directed the ministry of interior to place their names on the Exit Control List.

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The bench further ruled that if either side failed to comply with their obligations under their respective affidavits for settlement of all the liabilities within six months, the NAB chairman might revive the investigation/inquiry against the builders or any other persons involved in the project for cheating the public. However, it also said that if either party required more time they might approach the bench with this plea by furnishing reasonable grounds. Builders get bail but remain on ECL; SHC cites examples of Bahria Town Karachi, Hyatt Regency Islamabad NAB was not in favour of settlement and it also opposed the release of both the builders, but at the end it stated that the court might pass an appropriate order keeping in view the best interest of justice and those affected. Builders Tanveer Ahmed and Bilal Tanveer of M/s Maxim Properties were arrested by NAB for allegedly depriving the public of around Rs13 billion through investments in the housing scheme. The bench in its order observed that Maxim Properties had entered into a joint venture agreement with the directorate of estate project, PAF in order to create the ―Fazaia Housing Scheme Karachi‖ and public were given an opportunity to apply for plots and a large number of people paid substantial amounts of money in respect of such plots. However, the progress in developing the scheme was extremely slow, which caused great dissatisfaction and concerns among the allottees and complaints were filed with NAB against both sides for cheating public at large and NAB opened an inquiry, it added. It further said that as per the inquiry, both sides could not complete the project and both sides filed their affidavits in SHC undertaking to comply with in terms of returning the money to allottees and settlement of all other liabilities of the project. The bench cited the examples of Bahria Town Karachi, Creek Marina Karachi and BNP/Hyatt Regency Islamabad cases while allowing the request of both sides to settle the issue and said decision was made to safeguard the interest of allottees. It said that the allottees have also supported the affidavits of both sides to settle the matter as they saw this as the only realistic opportunity of getting their money back in a relatively short period of time. ―If we reject the settlement agreement then it was extremely likely that this matter would go to a prolonged trial and likely to take many years to conclude with no guarantee of getting any refund,‖ the bench observed. It ruled that both the sides would comply with their obligations regarding refund of money to allottees and other liabilities of the project to the satisfaction of the NAB chairman and then he would close this matter. The names of the two builders would remain on the ECL until the NAB chairman gave a certificate regarding completion of all their commitments they made before the court, it added. The bench directed the NAB chairman to file a compliance/progress report on Nov 23. OPD, emergency services in eight major hospitals Another SHC bench on Tuesday directed the Sindh Healthcare Commission (SHCC) to ensure that three government-run hospitals and five private hospitals in the metropolis will provide OPD and emergency services to patients. The two-judge bench headed by Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar also directed the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK), Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH), Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), Liaquat National Hospital (LNH), Ziauddin Hospital, South City Hospital and National Medical Centre (NMC) to continue their OPDs, first aid and emergency services. It observed that in case any patient approached such hospitals for any emergency treatment, they would first provide treatment and if they want to screen him/her for Covid-19 on the basis of any symptom they can ask such patient for a Covid-19 test. The bench asked the SHCC‘s acting chief executive officer to ensure compliance of its order from hospitals and also file the copy of a press release and letters issued by the SHCC to all hospitals on June 2. However, the bench was informed that the ASH had closed it OPD and the court issued a notice for the third time to its medical superintendent. The area police station concerned was directed to ensure the presence of ASH official on the next hearing. When a petition about non-provision of first aid or any other kind of treatment to general patients due to the Covid-19 pandemic came up for hearing, acting CEO of SHCC Dr Farhana Memon appeared and filed a statement in court, which was taken on record. The representatives and lawyers of NMC, LNH and South City Hospital also filed comments and replies. The petitioners sought time to go through all replies including the undertaking submitted by AKUH. The bench said that all representatives of the hospitals concerned had given a clear statement that they would not stop the OPDs, first aid and emergency services in their hospitals. Dr Memon had also stated that the SHCC was issuing public notices for ensuring protection of healthcare providers as directed by the health minister.

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She further informed the bench that the SHCC had inspection teams for routine inspection to check whether all hospitals were performing their duties in accordance with their SOPs and also inspected all the hospitals made respondents in the petition and found that they were performing their duties and functional in accordance with the SOPs issued by the SHCC. She said ASH had closed the OPD for which the SHCC had already issued a notice to its medical superintendent. ―So far as the screening of the Covid-19 pandemic in private hospitals as well as government hospitals is concerned, the Acting C.E.O. of Sindh Health Care Commission submits that as and when she receives any requisition from any such hospital, she deploys staff for the screening purposes and today her team has visited OMI Hospital for this purpose. She further submits that they have tested paramedical staff of 12 private hospitals and 06 public hospitals and also circulated the list of the hospitals on the website of Sindh Health Care Commission,‖ the bench wrote in its order. Dr Seemin Jamali of the JPMC informed the bench that on screening of their paramedical staff/employees some staff had been found Covid-19 positive and they had been quarantined. South City Hospital CEO Dr Sadia Rasul Virk also informed the bench that they were providing all services including emergency and OPD and had screened all their employees/paramedical staff and some of them were found positive for Covid-19 and quarantined. (By Ishaq Tanoli Dawn, 13, 20/05/2020)

SHC orders conditional release of accused involved in Fazaia Housing scheme scam The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday ordered the conditional release of individuals accused of involvement in the multi-billion rupee Fazaia Housing scheme scam. A two-member bench presided the hearing of the case. The SHC ordered to add the names of Tanveer Ahmed and Bilal Tanveer on the Exit Control List (ECL) till clearance certificates are obtained from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The court also ordered the accused to return the money to the victims within six months, which will be monitored by the NAB chairman. "If the money is not returned within the allotted time frame, the inquiry would reopen," the court remarked. "Both the accused should be released immediately so that the refund agreement of the victims can be implemented." The lawyer of the accused prayed upon the court that his clients want to return 80 per cent of the money to the victims. Earlier on April 24, The Pakistan Air Force's (PAF) management and its joint venture partner, Ch Tanveer Builder of the Maxim Group, agreed to refund the claims of 6,000 allottees of the Fazaia Housing scheme, amounting to Rs16 billion with immediate effect. The announcement came after the allottees, including the general public and armed forces personnel, were cheated by the PAF management and its partner, who illegally collected more than Rs16 billion from them, according to documents available with The Express Tribune. The case had already been on the radar of NAB. The country‘s premier graft buster had taken over an amount of Rs13.5 billion by freezing the joint venture account, one of the documents suggested. (By Newspaper‘s Staff Reporter The Express Tribune, 04, 21/05/2020)

Restoration of historic Chaukhandi Tombs begins The provincial government has finally started the conservation and renovation of the Chaukhandi Tombs, a centuries -old archaeological monument situated in Karachi‘s Malir district. The site, which is commonly known as the Chaukhandi Graveyard, is a symbol of Sindh‘s cultural heritage and is said to be hundreds of years old. Per sources, the graveyard serves as the resting place for the people of the local Jokhio tribe as well as Saloch warriors. Historians say that the graveyard was created during the 17th and 18th centuries AD. According to the official website of the Sindh Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Department, the tombs boast exquisite stone

carving which has persisted despite wear and tear for hundreds of years. ―The style of the graves‘ architecture is typical, one which is native to Sindh. That style is found nowhere else in Islamic countries,‖ the website stated. Speaking to The Express Tribune, the Antiquities and Archaeology Department‘s director-general Manzoor Ahmed Kansro said the conservation and renovation of the historical monument had been initiated two weeks ago. ―The work was scheduled to be completed by the end of June this year but this is not possible anymore due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent suspension of official activities. Hopefully, the work will now be completed by end of September,‖ Kansro said.

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It is pertinent to mention that the administrative control of the Chaukhandi Graveyard was transferred to the Sindh government by the Centre under the 18th Amendment, along with other archaeological sites in the province. Before that, the ancient graveyard neither had its limits defined nor had a boundary wall because of which it remained at ris k of illegal encroachment and theft of its ancient bricks and yellow sandstone. It also continued to be a lucrative option for land grabbers because of its prime location, situated as it is on the main National Highway. Sources revealed that several attempts were made by the land mafia to occupy the graveyard in the past. An encroachment attempt was also made during the tenure of the former Sindh chief minister, Arbab Ghulam Rahim. What‘s more, some of the graveyard‘s adjoining land is under litigation at the Sindh High Court. The Sindh Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Department, however, took a major step around a year ago to protect the graveyard‘s undisputed area. ―It was necessary to protect Chaukhandi Graveyard‘s undisputed area from illegal encroachment. Therefore, the department erected a boundary wall around it and deputed watchmen there,‖ Kansro said. He said the Centre had transferred the site to the Sindh government without the provision of any official records. ―At the time of the transfer, the provincial government was also not given funds and technical staff . As a result, the culture department had to make all the arrangements on its own to run and protect the historical site,‖ he added. Apart from illegal encroachments, the site was also at risk because a large number of deceased people belonging to nearby communities continued to be buried there. ―People living in surrounding areas of the Chaukhandi Tombs found it convenient to bury their relatives in this graveyard of historical importance. This practice was also stopped after the erection of the boundary wall,‖ Kansro explained. Shedding light on the meaning of the word ‗Chaukhandi,‘ he said that archaeologists and historians have come up with differen t interpretations. Per the website of the culture department, some scholars believe that Chaukhandi is the name of a place, whereas others consider it an architectural term. The tomb of Jam Murid bin Hail in the graveyard also has the word ―Chaukhandi‖ engraved on it, which is believed to be the family name of the deceased. (By Razzak Abro The Express Tribune, 04, 04/06/2020)

Over 90 infrastructure projects to be completed in next fiscal year

The Sindh government is expected to complete more than 90 schemes mainly related to infrastructure development during the upcoming financial year across the province. A statement issued on Wednesday said that six mega schemes would also be part of the financial year 2020-21 with an aim to complete all projects within the stipulated time. The plan emerged during a review meeting of the annual development programme (ADP) of the local government department. The meeting was presided over by LG Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, who also holds the portfolio of information, and attended by LG Secretary Roshan Ali Sheikh and other senior officers. ―The local government secretary briefed the meeting in detail about the annual development projects of his department,‖ it said. ―During the meeting, the minister asked the officials to make sure that the process of opening and awarding tenders for the development projects remains transparent. There should not be any undue delay in the process.‖ Minister Nasir Shah calls for maintaining transparency in tendering process The minister added that there should be no legal complication or inconvenience in the tendering process as Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah wanted transparency in all such processes. ―The minister was informed that in the year 2020-21, total 97 development schemes would be completed out of which 25 schemes are related to water and sewerage and 63 are related to roads,‖ said the statement. ―Apart from these development schemes, six mega schemes would also be part of the financial year. Nasir Shah directed the officers to ensure timely completion of all these development projects in a transparent manner. He told the LG officials that undue delay and non-transparency in the completion of these development projects would not be tolerated.‖ Sindh to abide by NCC directives Meanwhile, Mr Shah said that the Sindh government would abide by the decisions of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) and all educational institutions in the province, marriage halls, gyms, sports clubs, and all other business activities which had not been allowed by the federal government would be kept closed. ―The coronavirus has started spreading rapidly in the country and the situation is becoming critical day by day,‖ he said, adding: ―Until the vaccine for coronavirus is invented, everyone would have to live with this pandemic. People are not ready to follow SOPs and the health advisory, which is causing the problem.‖

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The provincial minister said that if timely and strict lockdown across the country had been imposed, the situation in the country would have been different. He said that timely steps of the Sindh government were appreciated all over the world including by the World Health Organisation. (By Newspaper‘s Staff Reporter Dawn, 14, 04/06/2020)

Civil society urges Sepa to cancel public hearing of 'under-construction’ project

A public hearing scheduled for June 9 by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) has earned considerable flak from civil society activists, who have demanded that the department immediately cancel the gathering. They claimed that the project was already under construction and the hearing was an ‗eye-wash‘ that Sepa wanted to indulge in to facilitate the project executors. The public hearing pertains to a water supply scheme for coal power plants and public utilization in Tharparkar district. The public-private partnership project involves the irrigation department and M/s Enertech Water Pvt Ltd. Speaking to Dawn, Mohammad Ali Shah of the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum demanded legal action against the project executors ―as 50 per cent construction work has already been completed at the site‘. Sepa is asked to take action against irrigation dept for carrying out project work without getting NOC ―The irrigation department has carried out construction without getting a no-objection certificate from Sepa. Instead of taking legal action under the Sindh Environmental Protection Act 2014, Sepa is facilitating the irrigation department in fulfilling a formality of the EIA [environmental impact assessment] process, which is nothing but a sham exercise.‖ Second, he argued, the May 22 public notice on the hearing was published only in an English-language newspaper during Eid holidays, which violated citizens‘ fundamental rights. ―The whole process initiated by Sepa defeats the very purpose of a public hearing. The notice should have been published in Sindhi-language newspapers so that people in this rural area get information about the event. ―Apparently, the department gave 19-day time to stakeholders to go through the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report of the project. But, actually only 12 days were given as all government offices, including Sepa‘s, were closed from May 22 to May 27,‖ Mr Shah argued. The EIA report was not available at Sepa‘s regional office even after May 27. According to Sepa‘s regulations, the date fixed for a public hearing must not be earlier than 15 days from the date of publication of the notice. Public gathering likely to increase Covid risk He also spoke of the coronavirus threat that participants may likely be exposed to at a public gathering and said majority of the people would not attend it due to fear of the virus. ―In this particular case, Sepa is acting against the government directives on public gatherings.‖ Raising similar concerns in a legal notice, which has been served to Sepa, senior lawyer Zubair Ahmed Abro, has asked the department to postpone the June 9 public hearing. ―In case you do not postpone void public hearing, and continue with the same, then please consider this letter as our notice under 2014 Act, of taking this matter to the Sindh Environmental Protection Tribunal.‖ The notice also highlights several flaws in the EIA report to be presented in the June 9 hearing and says, ―Sepa has not fulf illed its mandatory duty of placing a complete and correct EIA report before the public for participating in the EIA review process. Placing incomplete EIA report before the public amounts to infringement of their fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 9 and 19A of the Constitution.‖ When contacted, Sepa‘s deputy director-technical Imran Sabir defended the department‘s decision to hold the hearing and said the department would ensure compliance with all standard operating procedures against Covid-19 threat at the hearing. ―People wouldn‘t be allowed to crowd and provided with hand sanitizers and face masks,‖ he said, adding that the prime minister had instructed to carry out development projects. According to him, the department has inquired into the project‘s status and was informed that it hasn‘t been started yet. ―But, we have sent a letter to the irrigation department on this matter as it‘s the custodian of the project.‖ He rejected concerns on the publication of the notice during Eid holidays. (By Faiza Ilyas Dawn, 13, 07/06/2020)

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Karachi Zoo struggles with finances due to closure To contain the spread of Covid-19 in the province, the Sindh government has imposed a strict restriction on public gatherings, leading to the closure of all parks and recreational spots in the city for an indefinite time, including the Karachi Zoo. As a result, the facility is undergoing a severe financial crisis owing to a complete loss of revenue. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Karachi Zoo director Kunwar Ayub said that since the imposition of the lockdown, the zoo has been suffering from an acute shortage of funds. ―Each year, Rs120 million to Rs130 million are spent on the annual expenditure of the zoo, including the purchase of feed for animals as well as their medicines,‖ he said. ―We meet this expenditure through the revenue generated by the zoo, which has now become impossible due to the closure of the facility.‖ Ayub added that all the savings of the zoo, made possible through the collection of revenue, have been exhausted within the last two-and-a-half months. ―With no savings, the smooth supply of food and medicine to the animals could become a big problem as there is no income,‖ he said. Ayub said that Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar had been intimated about the problem and he had appealed to the Sindh government to issue funds on an emergency basis for the sustenance of the animals. ―Irrespective of the financial situation of the zoo, we will starve ourselves but we won‘t let the animals suffer in any way,‖ he said. When asked, Kunwar Ayub said he cannot share the details of the amount generated in revenue each year, saying that the zoo contractor is responsible for keeping a check and balance on it. The Karachi Zoo is home to more than 1,200 different types of animals, including tigers, elephant, cheetahs, pumas, white lions, monkeys, crocodiles, snakes, bears, zebras, a variety of birds, deer, and ostrich. The zoo covers an area of 56 acres while hundreds of kilogrammes of meat, vegetables, fruits, sugarcane, wheat, maize, millet and other grains including pulses are provided to these animals, all of which is met through revenue collection. On average, 3,000 people from all over the country visit the zoo every day for recreation. ―Even though the zoo is closed, employees regularly have to come to the facility to care for the animals. The animals have to be fed on time, checked for diseases and provided with medicines on a daily basis,‖ Ayub said. ―The maintenance of the zoo and its exotic residents is the responsibility of the management, so we have to do it at all costs.‖ He said that apart from the provision of food and medicine to all the animals, their cages and closures were also regularly cleaned, a practice which is crucial to maintaining the health and well-being of the animals. In view of the escalating Covid-19 situation in the city, a high alert has also been issued for the Karachi Zoo, in that all zoo staffers are required to undergo a thorough medical examination before entering the zoo. Besides that, the alert also prohibits the entry of all unauthorized persons, including the police and Rangers, while making it compulsory upon the authorised staff to use masks, sanitisers and gloves. (By Shakir Sultan The Express Tribune, 05, 07/06/2020)

Sindh govt claims ownership of Steel Mills' land

The strained-relations between Pakistan People‘s Party government in Sindh and federal government of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf are likely to get worse over the planned privatisation of the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) as the provincial administration on Sunday claimed that it owned the land worth billions of rupees of the industrial giant and Islamabad couldn‘t make it part of any deal. A key member of the provincial cabinet and close aide to chief minister also vowed to protect rights of over 9,000 PSM workers, who were being laid off under a proposed plan. ―We are against the retrenchment of 9,500 workers of Steel Mill and the PPP will protect these employees at every forum,‖ Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani told a press conference along with labour leaders Shamshad Qureshi and Habib Junaidi. ―The government is eyeing the land of steel mills worth billions of rupees. But everyone should be clear about it. This land belongs to the Sindh government and we will not allow them to take this land. The Sindh government had in the past raised its voice against the privatisation and we will not remain silent this time as well. We are with workers not with capitalists.‖ Saeed Ghani says the federal govt cannot make the Steel Mills’ land part of any privatisation deal The Sindh government, he claimed, could successfully operate the PSM and asked the federal government to talk with the provincial administration on this proposal.

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No CCI consent to PSM privatisation He said that whatever ―secret plan‖ the government had made about PSM, it had not got it approved from the Council of Common Interests (CCI) because a Supreme Court‘s decision had clearly said that the federal government must seek CCI consent for privatisation of any state entity. ―The PPP is blamed for recruiting its workers in the Pakistan Steel but the fact is that not a single man was hired in the mi lls since 2008,‖ said Minister Ghani, who also holds the portfolio of labour. ―In other institutions, when the PPP was in the federal government, contractual employees were made permanent. The PPP was not in the government from 1996 to 2008, during that time Musharraf and other governments had recruited contractual workers in many institutions including the PSM.‖ To a question, he said that whenever a decision was taken about the PSM, the prime interests of the decision-makers always attached with the valuable land of the industrial giant. ―Again the focus is on the land, which is worth billions of rupees. Some 19,000 acres of land of Pakistan Steel is without a shadow of a doubt is owned by Sindh.‖ In response to another question, he said that it seemed that Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar had become the prime minister since Imran Kha did not know the decisions of his own cabinet. ―Asad Umar once said he will stand with the employees of the PSM if the PTI comes into power and a wrong decision is taken for the mills,‖ said Mr Ghani. ―I am waiting what position will Asad Umar take in the meeting of the federal cabinet.‖ Minister hopes MQM-P, GDA will oppose layoffs He appreciated the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan for opposing the PSM workers‘ layoffs, but asked the PTI‘s coalition partner at the centre to do more. ―We believe that a mere condemnation is not enough. We hope that MQM ministers will resist this decision and maybe if the conscience of the GDA is awakened, they should also oppose the move,‖ he said. To a question about recent allegations from a US blogger against senior leadership of the PPP, he said that the media was presenting an American woman in its headline whose aim was to tarnish the image of Pakistani politicians in the eyes of the people and divert attention from the challenges being faced by the people in this country. ―I appeal to the Pakistani media to address the current situation in which people are being infected with coronavirus, where deaths from the virus are increasing rapidly and healthcare system had become a challenge. ―In a situation where the country is suffering from the worst economic crisis, where the sugar scandal and shortage of petroleum products have been pushed back, the nation is entangled in a matter which seems to be a foreign agenda,‖ he added. To a query, he said that after the rapid increase in the number of Covid-19 patients in Sindh, the pressure of patients in government as well as private hospitals had increased. All government hospitals run by the Sindh government were providing free treatment and the administration would continue to provide more facilities to the patients in the hospitals so that more and more patients could get free treatment, he added. (By Newspaper‘s Staff Reporter Dawn, 13, 08/06/2020)

Many injured as five-storey residential building collapses in Lyari

Scores of people suffered injuries and many were feared trapped inside after a five-storey residential building collapsed in Lyari‘s Khadda Market area on Sunday evening, officials said. Police said around eight families were living in the flats of the building. A rescue operation was under way in the affected area till late into the night and local government officials, charity workers, police and Rangers were taking part in it. However, darkness and narrow lanes of the densely populated neighbourhood had made their work quite difficult. The fresh incident came as a grim reminder of a similar tragedy that took place in March this year in Rizvia Society and claimed more than 20 lives. It appears to be another case of negligence on part of relevant civic authorities and the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA). Both Sindh governor and area MNA of PTI hold SBCA responsible for the collapse ―Just a day ago, the residents of the building started feeling that something was wrong with the structure,‖ Lyari MNA Abdul Shakoor Shad of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf told Dawn. ―They called the SBCA and the commissioner‘s office with complaints that their building doesn‘t look safe anymore and they need help. None of them responded and the people started planning to evacuate the building on a self-help basis. They were just in the phase of planning when all of sudden the building collapsed.‖ ―It‘s the criminal negligence of Karachi commissioner and SBCA officials and both should be charged for this crime,‖ said Mr Shad.

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Rescuers managed to pull out many people alive from under the rubble. A senior police official on the scene said that the removal of debris with the help of heavy machinery was crucial, but narrow and congested lanes of the area had not allowed such initiative. ―However, we have still moved some machinery and contacted a few private contractors for the same purpose. We are trying our best to make them utilised,‖ said SP-Lyari Altaf Hussain, assessing that there were some eight families living in the ill-fated building. Only on March 5, a multi-storey residential building in Rizvia Society met the same fate leaving over 20 dead including women and children. The incident had left so many questions about the role of the SBCA and the alleged rampant corruption in the regulatory organisation. Though the police arrested and charged the builder without any credible action against the SBCA high-ups, the fresh episode of the building collapse brought the PPP-led Sindh government and PTI-nominated governor at loggerheads. ―The irresponsible and criminal negligence of the SBCA costing people their lives,‖ Sindh Governor Imran Ismail said in a statement while seeking immediate report from the Karachi commissioner on the incident. ―The corruption of the SBCA is the key reason behind such incidents. This body needs extreme measures of reforms and revival.‖ Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Shah said in a statement that the victims of the Lyari building collapse would be provided complete support from the Sindh government. He directed the municipal administration to join hands with the rescue organisation and law enforcement agencies in the relief operation and ensured a transparent enquiry against those responsible. (By Imran Ayub Dawn, 13, 08/06/2020)

Five-story building collapses in Lyari At least one person died and several others were injured as a five-storey building, comprising 40 apartments, collapsed in one of Lyari‘s densely populated neigbourhoods on Sunday. On being informed of the tragic incident, law enforcement personnel, fire fighters and rescue teams reached the spot and began relief operations. Area locals also reached the spot and participated in rescue work. However, Rangers and police later cordoned off the area and dispersed the crowd. According to rescue workers, panic and chaos gripped the area after the building collapsed and they faced difficulty in carry ing out relief work due to narrow and congested streets being crowded by people, as well as electricity suspension. They said that the machinery required to clear the debris, too, couldn‘t easily be brought to the site of the incident due to the locality‘s narrow streets. However, they some how managed to brought it to the site and began rescue work. A woman‘s body had been recovered from the rubble till the filing of this report. The body was shifted to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil hospital. Besides, four injured in the incident, identified as Shama, 40, Shahzad, 35, Shahbaz, 9, and Fayyaz, 30, who is a policeman, were shifted to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital. Residents of nearby buildings told The Express Tribune that the building was crumbling and was declared unsafe by the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA). While most of the families inhabiting it had vacated the building, few remained, they said. Reliving the dreadful moment, area locals said that dust blanketed the area as soon as the building collapsed and cries of the victims resounded in the air. According to SP Lyari Altaf Hussain, the building was vacated after the SBCA issued a notice regarding the structure being unsafe. ―Moreover, a crack had appeared in the building, said to be around 35 to 40 years old, in the morning,‖ he said, talk ing to The Express Tribune. Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah issued directives for launching an investigation into the incident, instructing that all possible efforts should be made to rescue those stuck in the rubble. He also sought a report on the matter after the completion of rescue operation. Sindh governor Imran Ismail, taking notice of the incident, too, has sought a report of the incident from the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and said that immediate measures were to be taken to rescue people stuck in the rubble. ―People are losing lives due to SBCA‘s inefficiency,‖ he said, holding all SBCA officials responsible for the incident. Point ing out that it was SBCA‘s responsibility to identify unsafe structure and get them vacated, the governor alleged SBCA officials of ―allowing illegal construction in the city.‖ Sindh Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah called for the provision of assistance to rescue workers from district administration officials, as well as all medical facilities to the injured. He said that there was no electricity in the area, posing difficulties in rescue operations, however, search lights had been provided to rescue personnel for their aid.

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Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar, expressing concern over the unfortunate incident, said that rescue teams and fire department personnel should make all-out efforts to save as many lives as possible. He also called for making immediate arrangements to ensure proper lighting at the site of the incident, so as to help with the rescue operation. He extended condolences to the bereaved family. (By Our Correspondent The Express Tribune, 04, 08/06/2020)

Death toll of Lyari building tragedy rises to six The death toll from the apartment building collapse in Lyari rose to six on Monday after the bodies of five more residents, including two women, were retrieved from the rubble. Rescue operations continued, with fears that several more people were trapped in the debris. The five-storey building, reportedly comprising 40 apartments, had collapsed in Lyari‘s densely populated Khadda Market area on Sunday night. While many residents vacated the building after the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) issued a notice deeming the structure ‗unsafe‘ and after a crack appeared in the building earlier in the day, several remained inside at the time of the incident. According to Lyari SP Altaf Hussain, six bodies had been retrieved by rescue personnel by Monday night, while their bodies were shifted to Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi. Edhi Foundation officials stated that five of the deceased had been identified as Salma, 52, Jameela, 40, Sheeraz, 24, Noor Muhammad alias Babu, 50, and Faheem, 35. The body of another woman could not immediately be identified. Union Council-4 vice chairperson Mehmood Hashim claimed that according to information collected from relatives of building residents, around 194 individuals resided at the building, of whom 54 were said to be missing. He added that the rescue operations were proceeding cautiously because they were trying to pull out those trapped under the rubble alive, without harming them further. ―There are many buildings in Lyari that are crumbling and warning letters have also been put up on them, telling the residents to empty them,‖ he stated. ―But the issue the SBCA faces in vacating the building is this: where would the residents be accommodated after that?‖ Rescue work continued all day on Monday and into the night, with the help of officials from Pakistan Army‘s engineering corps. Army officials also used sniffer dogs to try to locate those trapped under the debris, while the police and Rangers officials cordoned off the congested area. Declared dangerous The building had reportedly been declared dangerous by the SBCA‘s technical team after an inspection survey on March 16. The SBCA had also issued a notice to the residents on March 18, directing them to vacate the building within 15 days. The authority has declared at least 250 structures in the city ‗dangerous,‘ with most of them located in the South district. According to sources, the SBCA had also issued letters to the relevant agencies to cut off the utility connect ions when it wasn‘t vacated, but in vain. Meanwhile, Sindh Information, Housing and Town Planning Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said that there were over 300 buildings in the city that were old and extremely dilapidated, but their occupants had refused to leave despite being given notices. However, he added, talks were underway with these residents. Visiting Khadda Market, Shah told media personnel that legislation was also being enacted to assure the residents of such buildings that they would be provided alternative accommodation in such circumstances. ―The only purpose of these notices is to protect lives,‖ he pointed out. Promising a thorough investigation into the tragedy, he further maintained that action would be taken if any negligence on the part of SBCA officials was behind it, adding that these officials had already been warned they would be held responsible for any illegal construction in their jurisdictions. According to the minister, the Sindh government has already approved separate courts for the SBCA, while the Supreme Court had been approached to appoint personnel for these courts. Separately, Karachi mayor Wasim Akhtar stated that it was the Sindh government‘s responsibility to ensure the evacuation of precarious buildings in the city. ―The provincial government has a list of all such buildings in Karachi and it should take action and ensure they are vacated to save valuable lives,‖ he said. ―Until the relevant authorities take effective measures, such buildings will keep collapsing and people will keep dying.‖ (By Our Correspondent The Express Tribune, 04, 09/06/2020)

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Building tragedy YET again lives have been lost in a building collapse in Karachi — this time in Lyari. The narrow residential construction is said to have boasted no less than 40 living units or flats in a thickly populated area. The condition of the building was such that residents were aware of the imminent disaster. The lean five-storey structure appeared to tilt, an ominous sign that apparently compelled some of the families lodged there to escape. So far, six bodies have been retrieved from the debris of the building that caved in on Sunday, and many people have been rescued. But it is still unclear how many people might still be beneath the mountain of concrete which has now become a site from where officials and politicians of all stripes can conduct their favourite blame game. In a city that has suffered so much on account of feuding in the name of politics, Karachi‘s tendency to exhibit strong signs of polarisation in times of disaster was on full display yet again. The governor, along with the PTI MNA from Lyari, was quick to point out that the Sindh Building Control Authority under the PPP government was responsible for the collapse. One wonders if there is a realisation that it is also the responsibility of legislators, as elected public representatives, to try and protect the lives of the voters of their constituency. At the same time, no amount of criticism seems to embarrass the provincial PPP government, which after years of rule has yet to reveal a development plan for this city of 20m. The SBCA too must be held accountable, as it was after a building came crashing down in Rizvia Society in Karachi in March. Unfortunately, such a course hardly leads to positive results. The city is notorious for its haphazard planning and dangerously built structures, many of them constructed illegally in congested localities that can even render rescue work difficult. More tragedies of the sort can be expected if the authorities continue to neglect the state of housing. (By Editorial Dawn, 06, 09/06/2020)

Construction resumes at Numaish Chowrangi After a lapse of two and a half months, the federal government has finally resumed the construction of Numaish Chowrangi underpass, which is now expected to be opened for traffic by the end of June. The construction was stalled on March 22 due to Covid-19 outbreak and the ensuing lockdown, until when 90 per cent of the roofing work and 60 per cent of the underpass‘ construction had been completed. This was confirmed by engineers from the Sindh Infrastructure Development Company Limited (SIDCL), a federal government agency partaking in the construction, who told The Express Tribune that roofing work was in final stages, but will take another four months to complete. Meanwhile, the underpass will be opened for traffic by the end of June, they said. Moreover, following the coronavirus outbreak, most workers had returned to their hometowns, but have now returned and resumed work on the project on Monday. Numaish Chowrangi underpass is a part of Bus Rapid Transit Green Line Project, the passageway for which runs from Surjani Town to Jamia Cloth Market after passing through Abdullah Mor, and its construction was started in January, 2016, under the supervision of the federal government and was initially expected to reach completion by December, 2017. However, the progress the completion was delayed due to slow progress, frequent design changes and differences between the federal and Sindh governments. (By Syed Ashraf Ali The Express Tribune, 04, 10/06/2020)

Lyari building collapse death toll climbs to 19

The death toll in the Lyari building collapse tragedy reached 19 as rescue workers pulled 13 more bodies from the rubble on Tuesday, officials said. Moreover, there are fears that more people may be trapped under the debris. The rescue operation, which the authorities earlier claimed would be completed in 24 hours, continued till late Tuesday evening. ―Total 19 bodies have been recovered and all of them were moved to the Civil Hospital Karachi where their families have identified them,‖ said DIG-South Sharjeel Kharal. However, there was no word from the authorities about the expected time of completion of the operation to remove the rubble and then demolish other vulnerable structures in

the same neighbourhood. Area people and legislators, mostly from the opposition parties in Sindh, had claimed that 27 people were inside the building at the time of its collapse and they were missing following the incident. ―The local administration and all other relevant authorities are well aware of this fact. The ill-prepared civic administration and narrow lanes of the area make things difficult,‖ said an area resident. The office of the Sindh police surgeon identified 17 bodies as that of 50-year-old Fahmida, Faheem, 32, Salma, 45, Jamila, 35, Siraj, 30, Noor Mohammad alias Babu, 50, Shahid, 30, Maryam, 11, Shehnaz, 45, Memona, 25, Shahzad, 20, Saeed, 26, Taufiq, 55, Bahar, 25, Kaleem Ahmed, 60, Saleem alias Sani, 30, and Shaukat, 30.

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Two bodies are yet to be identified. Meanwhile, a meeting at the office of the Karachi commissioner decided to lodge cases across the city against illegal constructions. Sindh Minister for Information and Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain Shah while chairing the meeting said that the government would not allow anyone to play with the lives of citizens and no compromise would be made. He asked the Sindh Building Control Authority chief, Naseem ul Ghani, to identify illegal structures in the city and lodge FIRs against builders concerned. ―The commissioner briefed the minister that the SBCA had issued notices to the residents of dangerous buildings for immediate evacuation. The DG-SBCA informed the minister that most of the dangerous buildings are in Old City Area and few of them have been declared as heritage,‖ the statement said. The minster ordered a vigilance committee in every district for identification of dangerous and illegal buildings in their area. The committee would be consisting of representatives from district municipal corporations, SBCA, Karachi Development Authority and police. (By Newspaper‘s Staff Reporter Dawn, 13, 10/06/2020)

Death toll in Lyari building collapse rises to 22 Rescuers on Wednesday found three more bodies from the debris of the five-storey building that collapsed in Lyari three days ago as the death toll rose to 22. The search and rescue operation was still not over amid fears that there were still more people trapped under the debris. Area residents and occupants of the collapsed building staged a protest at the place of the incident blaming the authorities for their alleged poor response and slow pace of operation. The rescue operation continued till late Wednesday evening. ―As of today total 22 bodies have been recovered and all of them were moved to the Civil Hospital Karachi where families of the victims have identified them,‖ said an official privy to the details of the rescue operation. However, there was no word from the authorities about the expected time of completion of the operation to remove the rubble and then demolish other vulnerable structures in the same neighbourhood. Karachi Commissioner Iftikhar Shallwani said that his team and other agencies were still looking for any survivor or body under the debris for which they needed to continue the operation for at least another day. Area people and legislators, mostly from the opposition parties in Sindh, had claimed that 27 people were inside the building when it collapsed and they were missing following the incident. Meanwhile, a large number of area people with occupants of the building staged a protest demonstration. They demanded compensation for their loss and action against the officials involved in poor and delayed response for rescue after the tragedy. (By The Newspaper's Staff Reporter Dawn, 13, 11/06/2020)