KARACHI: Just a day after the Sindh government’s decision to “hand over” Karachi’s iconic park — Bagh Ibne Qasim — to Bahria Town for 10 years, a protest by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement in the Sindh Assembly and its city mayor’s objection to the move forced the real estate giant to unilaterally separate itself from the deal, with its chief Malik Riaz announcing on Friday that his company would not take over the 130-acre facility till all stakeholders reached a consensus on the deal.

Mr Riaz’s announcement on Twitter came hours after the MQM protested against the Sindh government’s decision in the provincial assembly followed by a strong reaction from Mayor Wasim Akhtar who chose to convey his concerns through the media at Bagh Ibne Qasim during a visit in the afternoon with senior members of his team.

“We will not take over this park [Bagh Ibne Qasim] till all stakeholders including mayor Karachi agree to hand it over to us, rest assured,” Mr Riaz tweeted and then posted a statement on his social media account to explain reasons behind his decision.

“This is really unfortunate to see much propaganda against our humble venture for Karachi. Our aim is to convert Bagh Ibne Qasim into a state-of-the-art recreational family park. We want to introduce quality entertainment features for Karachiites which will be no less than any European country.”

Muttahida vows to move court against Sindh govt decision

Mr Riaz claimed that he had not been getting any financial or other benefit from the government for adoption of the park, neither was he buying it forever — instead Bahria Town was going to invest millions for the beautification of the park only to create a healthy entertainment facility for Karachiites.

His words, however, could not convince the MQM.

At the Sindh Assembly session, the MQM even announced that it would approach courts against the Sindh government’s decision. Party’s senior leader Faisal Subzwari accused the PPP government of deliberately damaging Bagh Ibne Qasim over the years to pave the way for this deal.

“The people of Karachi and the land of this city are not the personal property of any individual,” he said. “The way the Sindh government is ruling the province is not called democracy. We are here for every sane voice and we would go to the court if needed to save this city and its places, which are only for Karachiites, and not for any commercial venture.”

Sindh Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro, however, reacted to Mr Subwari’s speech and reiterated his stance that the deal did not allow any business venture on the park as Bahria Town only offered to contribute towards the beautification and uplifting of Bagh Ibne Qasim.

“The people would not be charged a penny,” he said. “We are going to develop the park. We are not those who have occupied 300 parks of Karachi to build party offices and carve out plots through illegal means. Is it not double standards that the party that is opposing Bahria Town for building parks was the same one that welcomed it when it had announced setting up a university in Altaf Hussain’s name?”

Mayor Akhtar also expressed concerns over the provincial government’s decision — but his reservations were more about taking the decision without consulting him than over the handover of the park to Bahria Town.

“I am not against the adoption of parks by private organisations, but this must be done by fulfilling all codal formalities which required the council’s approval,” he said while referring to Section 74 of the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013.

“I personally have very much regard for Malik Riaz and he has done tremendous social and welfare work, but I only argue that he should have talked to me. Where am I as the city mayor in this whole process? It’s a kind of asset of the KMC [Karachi Metropolitan Corporation] which was gifted by the Parsi community to Karachi,” he told reporters after visiting Bagh Ibne Qasim.

From a promenade to iconic park The history of Bagh Ibne Qasim is as interesting as the promenade of which it was, and still is, an integral part. It was in the second decade of the 20th century that the city administrators thought that Karachiites should have a vantage point to view and experience the beautiful harbour from. That was the time when the chief engineer of the Karachi Municipality, Measham Lea, and his associates were trying to chalk out a grand plan for the city. They came up with the idea to construct a promenade and terrace from where the citizens could have a closer look at the sea.

There was a large residence at the place where the municipality wanted to build the promenade. It belonged to a gentleman by the name of Jehangir Kothari. Being an extremely kind-hearted and generous soul, when Mr Kothari came to know about the idea, he gifted his piece of land (approximately 12,000 square yards) to the municipality. Not only that, he donated a considerable amount of money to the project. As a result of this, the promenade was named after him.

The parade, designed by H. B. Hoare, was built between 1919 and 1921. It was a single-storey pavilion. Jodhpur stone was used in its carved balustrading of the pathway. The great expanse of Bagh Ibne Qasim (which was formerly known as Rupchand Bilaram Park) was a significant part of the whole project. Another important section of the facility was the Lady Lloyd Pier, named after the wife of the Governor of Bombay, George Ambrose Lloyd. And the nice-looking bandstand that can be viewed from afar owed its construction to the generosity of another philanthropist, Kavasji Katrak.

Over the years, half of the 130-acre park was encroached upon. It was rehabilitated after encroachments from 70 acres of its land were removed. Former military dictator Pervez Musharraf inaugurated the park in February 2007.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2017