KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Monday appointed a former senior member of the Board of Revenue the inquiry officer on the issue of illegal occupation of land meant for the Larkana’s ladies club, a significant part of the province’s heritage.

A three-member bench comprising Justices Amir Hani Muslim, Mushir Alam and Maqbool Baqar passed this order during the suo motu proceedings on a news item that appeared in a section of the press in February that said Larkana’s ladies club has lost a portion to the land mafia.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Nasirul Mulk had ordered the court office to register the matter as a human rights case.

According to the media report, the ladies club was a significant part of Larkana’s heritage and had hosted some famous guests in its time. The club was home to cultural activities organised by Hindus, Christians and Muslim women before partition.

The Gomibai Jawaharmal Ladies Club was built by a Hindu deputy collector, who named it after his sister. On Jan 3, 1934, the club was inaugurated by Ms R E Gibson, the wife of a senior British bureaucrat. The report suggested that the club had around 107 members and ran without any financial support from the government.

Though the land is property of the district government, in 2004 the government had decided to sell the club and the plot to a builder, but later abandoned the idea when members of the club formed a citizens’ action forum and launched a campaign against the decision. Later, authorities succumbed to public pressure and withdrew the decision to handover the land to builders.

But the report stated that recently, three acres in the club had been occupied by the land mafia that set up a hotel there. It was also reported that the land grabbers had plans to grab the entire precious plot of seven acres and the historic building.

On Monday, the judges were told on behalf of the hotel owner that the land was not an abandoned property and he had purchased it from its Hindu owner.

The bench appointed the inquiry officer to probe the matter and directed him to submit his report in court by the next date of hearing, which would be later announced by the court’s office.

Meanwhile, the same bench directed Yasmeen Lari, an archaeologist, to submit her reply in an application against the reported threats to the national heritage sites across the province.

Earlier, Ms Lari told the judges that the heritage sites, including Mohin-jo-Daro, and Makli, Chowkandi and other centuries old graveyards, were not being properly protected.

She said that the provincial government had formed an advisory committee for the protection of the heritage sites under the Sindh Cultural Heritage Act, 1994, but the committee was not doing anything in this regard.

In its reply, the provincial government said that all heritage sites across the province were being duly protected.

Pasban leader’s arrest case

The Sindh High Court directed the official respondents to file their comments on a petition challenging the arrest of Usman Moazzam, general secretary of Pasban, and his son, Muhammad Siddiqui.

A division bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar directed the home secretary, provincial police chief, director general of Rangers and others to submit their respective comments on the next date.

The bench would take up the matter on Aug 6 The Pasban leader and his son were arrested on July 20 during a raid on their house.

Published in Dawn, July 28th, 2015

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