BACK in 2009, with all my hard-earned savings and a heavy loan, I purchased a residential plot of land in the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) Multipurpose Cooperative Housing Society in Scheme 33 area of Karachi. It is hard to describe how intensely I regret the day I had done that.
Being a residential society established in the early 1980s by the federal government for providing low-cost housing to the government-owned PIDC employees, the genuineness of the legal status of the said society was and remains beyond doubt. All the original allottees, or subsequent buyers, have already paid all purchase and entitlement charges, and do possess legal and lease documents. In fact, many had also started getting formal approvals for floor plans and construction by 2009.
However, for reasons known only to the authorities, the Sindh government in 2011 abolished society’s representative association, and appointed an administrator while putting a freeze on the society’s bank accounts.
Later, the appointed administrator was also granted the authority to operate the said accounts. Besides, on the directives of the Singh government, a Rangers contingent seized all property and legal records from the office of the society.
Finding all these actions illegal, PIDC Society representatives initiated litigation. The matter remained in Sindh High Court (SHC) for years and then moved to the Supreme Court. It also attracted the attention of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
While the battle was being fought in the courts, property records of the society were tampered with, scores of illegal plots of land were carved out by illegally altering the approved site plan, and millions of rupees were withdrawn from the bank accounts. All these activities were taken note of by the relevant authorities, leading to arrest and conviction of the administrator.
All this while, the original allottees paid legal expenses through personal contributions with great difficulties. However, despite successive court rulings in favour of the society, the actual administration and lawful landowners are still unable to even enter the premises due to the presence of land mafia agents at the entry gate of the walled society. Despite court orders, police personnel have been unable to remove the encroachers and secure the society’s possession for its real owners.
A huge number of landowners are elderly, retired PIDC employees. As PIDC was a federal government organisation, the owners are spread across the country, and cannot visit Karachi every now and then to follow the proceedings in the matter. There is a complete standstill as there is no official setup in place, and the society’s elections and members’ general meetings are impossible.
The society’s president is an octogenarian with no succession plan. In short, all things are in favour of the land-grabbers who can afford to wait patiently for all landowners to pass away, leaving no challenge for them to ultimately occupy the land completely.
On their part, thousands of victims are losing hope of ever owning a home of their own. All landowners, like myself, are directionless and confused what to do and how to go about either selling our plots of land or to get permission to build our houses. Despite the involvement of the courts and NAB, there is complete hopelessness. The darkness is utter and absolute.
Name withheld on request
Karachi
Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2023
