KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Tuesday restrained till April 5 a builder from demolishing the building of a colonial-era government school in Shanti Nagar.

A two-judge bench headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi also issued notices to the provincial education secretary, senior member, board of revenue, deputy commissioner-East, district education officer (DEO-East), builder and other respondents as well as a provincial law officer for the next hearing.

Seven residents of Shanti Nagar petitioned the SHC stating that the provincial authorities were handing over the pre-partition era public school building that spanned over a total area of 4,000 square yards to a builder to raise a multi-storey structure for commercial purposes.

Citing the education department, BoR, DC-East, DEO, Gulshan-i-Iqbal mukhtiarkar, the housing society concerned and builder Uzair as respondents, the petitioners sought interim restraining order as well as other directives for the respondents.

The bench in its order stated, “Till the next date of hearing, respondent No. 7 [builder] is restrained to interfere with the possession of the subject building and the plot of the school viz Maniq Government Boys & Girls School, situated at Shanti Nagar, on a plot of measuring 4000 sq. yards, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi”.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2022