KARACHI: During Wednesday’s hearing of the Karachi law and order case, Justice Anwer Zaheer Jamali said that the land survey was the Sindh government’s responsibility, adding that, a court order should not have been necessary for it, DawnNews reported.

A five-member larger bench of the apex court comprising Justices Jamali, Sarmad Jalal Osmany, Khilji Arif Hussain, Gulzar Ahmed and Amir Hani Muslim was seized with the proceedings for the implementation of the apex court’s earlier order in a Karachi killings suo motu case.

Last year, the Supreme Court had given its detailed order in the case after the chief justice had taken suo motu action on the security situation in the city.

Chief Secretary Sindh Raja Mohammad Abbas and Inspector General (IG) Sindh Police Mushtaq Shah were present in the court among other high-ranking officials for the hearing.

During the proceedings, the provincial chief secretary said that the Sindh government had sanctioned a land survey from Gadap to Jamshoro.

Responding to which, Justice Muslim said that all land from Gadap to Jamshoro was in fact government property.

Moreover, officials from the revenue department said that a year’s time was needed to conduct a survey of government land and requested the court to grant them the said time.

Approving the measure to conduct the survey from Gadap to Jamshoro, the bench said three months were sufficient for the work’s completion.

In his remarks, Justice Jamali said that land survey was the government’s responsibility, adding that, a court order should not have been necessary for it.

Justice Jamali moreover remarked that revenue officials deliberately had the land record burnt.

The bench further stated that the land record was available with the central office, adding that, it could be made use of.

Advocate-General Sindh Abdul Fateh Malik stated that the chief secretary had gotten Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah to approve the summary for the survey.

The bench moreover remarked that retired police officials who were involved in the operations in Karachi in the past and officials who had died in the line of duty should be compensated.

The bench stated that there was information that seven to eight thousand Taliban had arrived in Karachi and directed IG Sindh and other concerned officials to submit a report on the matter.

The bench also remarked that the city's economy was in tatters due to the extortion mafias.

The hearing was subsequently adjourned until Thursday.

Earlier last week, the bench had issued show-cause notices for contempt of court to the Sindh chief secretary, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation director of master plan, the senior member of the board of revenue and other relevant officials for not conducting a land survey in the city as was ordered by the Sindh High Court several years back.

The bench had also rejected the city maps presented by the officials saying they were old ones, showing the city divided in districts and not in towns.