KARACHI: The Young Men Christian Association (YMCA) Secondary School faces a serious security risk as a large part of its premises is under unlawful possession despite a government action under which illegal infrastructure built on the school playground was demolished, it emerged on Tuesday.

Speaking to Dawn, members of the school administration said that they had written letters last month to the governor, the deputy commissioner (south), the additional deputy commissioner (south-II) and the superintendent of Saddar with the request to clear the YMCA ground from land-grabbers’ goods, vehicles and the debris of the bulldozed walls, but no positive response had been received yet.

“The delay is upsetting for the YMCA employees and the Christian community because the plot hasn’t been cleared yet and anybody can take advantage of the broken school wall, enter the school and harm children,” said YMCA Secondary School Principal Mushtaq Masih.

The illegal infrastructure, according to him, was demolished more than two weeks ago on instructions of the Sindh governor giving the hope to all concerned members and students that the sports ground would be restored to its original position.

“The keys were given to us but under Section 145, the charge of the YMCA ground was handed over to the SHO of the Artillery Maidan police station with the responsibility that he ensures that the entire plot of about 27,724 square yards is cleared of all illegal stuff. However, he failed to do so and is also reluctant to let us enter the ground,” he explained.

It is important to recall here that the said playground was being used as a marriage lawn for the past many years despite the Sindh High Court 2011 orders according to which all illegal and unauthorised construction/structures on the YMCA plot was to be removed within four days and in case the petitioner (the party which build the illegal infrastructure and later took the case to the court in a bid to legalise its action) failed to do so, the Sindh Building and Control Authority was directed to remove the same within 10 days.

However, nothing happened till the Sindh governor intervened and ordered demolition of illegal infrastructure last month.

It is noteworthy that the properties of minorities are protected under the Sindh Protection of Communal Properties of Minorities Act 2013 as well as Protection of Communal Properties of Minorities Ordinance 2001.

According to these laws, no property of a minority community meant for its communal use shall be bought, sold or transferred by any person without a no-objection certificate from the provincial government.

A property in these laws is defined as “a place of worship, monasteries, seminaries, vicarages, dharamshalas, goashalas, burial places, community centres, social welfare, education, health and recreational institutions meant for communal use of minority communities and include side buildings, vacant places, lands, residential places and offices annexed to the said properties”.

Violation of these laws could lead to imprisonment to up to seven years and fine.

The YMCA ground and infrastructure is part of the heritage sites declared protected by the Sindh culture, tourism and sports department under a 1997 notification.

Built in 1844, the YMCA is an international organisation rendering services in 119 countries, having more than 11,000 local associations in different countries. Its chapter was opened in Karachi in 1905.

Till year 2000, sources said, the association premises remained a hub of sports activities that virtually came to a halt due to internal rift in the association and subsequent takeover by the provincial social welfare department.

A case relating to the association’s rightful representation has been in the court for a decade.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2015

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