KARACHI, May 27: Baitul Hamza, headquarters of Mohajir Qaumi Movement, located in Landhi was demolished by the demolition squad of the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) on Tuesday.

The operation began at 9am and continued till the evening. Heavy machinery, such as loaders and dumpers, were used in the operation.

A strong contingent of police and rangers were deployed at all the streets leading to Baitul Hamza to ensure security to the KBCA officials and squad and meet any eventuality.

Before starting the demolition work, the Chief Controller of KBCA, Brig A. S. Nasir, who was supervising the operation, got all furniture and fixtures of the party’s headquarters loaded in nine trucks. The trucks were unloaded in the courtyard of the KBCA building at Civic Centre.

The furniture, which included a number of sofa sets, centre tables, office tables, almirahs, etc, and printed material including posters of Afaq Ahmed (party chief), party’s literature, were dumped in the open compound.

Such an action, some officials of the KBCA observed, was unprecedented in the KBCA’s history. Elaborating, they said in all previous demolition operations, they had merely demolished the illegally raised buildings or structures without seizing or taking away furniture or other things from inside a demolished structure.

KBCA officials claimed that Baitul Hamza was demolished because Mohajir Qaumi Movement, popularly known as ‘Haqiqi’, had constructed the building, housing its headquarters, on an amenity plot — ST-8/1, Sector 37D, Landhi — after amalgamating seven plots (R-1 to R-7) illegally and without getting its plan approved from the KBCA. Besides, they added, the entire building was built in violation of Sindh Building Control Ordinance-1979.

However, a senior official of the city government’s Land Management Department disputed the KBCA’s claim that Baitul Hamza was built on an amenity plot. He pointed out that the site housing Baitul Hamza had been shown as ‘unspecified land’ in the KDA’s records.

“In fact, the defunct KDA had itself carved out seven plots, each measuring 120 square yards, prior to auctioning them long time ago,” another KBCA official told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, KBCA sources admitted that a person had applied for the regularization of Baitul Hamza building shortly after a portion of the building was demolished in February but the application was rejected.

When a spokesman for the city district government was asked whether Baitul Hamza building was demolished on the orders of the city government, he replied in negative and put a counter question: “How can such an action be taken on behalf of the city government when both the city Nazim and Naib Nazim are not present in the city?”

“In fact, neither the city government has taken this action nor did the KBCA inform the city government about the action,” he clarified.

Earlier on Feb 22, when additional district and sessions judge (East) had ordered unsealing of the Haqiqi headquarters, the KBCA’s demolition squad and the city government’s anti-encroachment team had not only demolished the boundary walls of Baitul Hamza, but also uprooted its main gate and sealed off the building.

The February operation against Baitul Hamza had resulted in the retrieval of a 40-feet service road which had earlier been made part of Baitul Hamza by raising a boundary wall around it.

The retrieved artery, that leads to the surrounding residential areas, was then re-opened to general public. Besides, a portion of the ST-8/1 plot originally meant for a park for women and named as Allama Iqbal Park, was also restored to public.