KARACHI: The controversy surrounding encroachments in the city’s iconic Hill Park intensified on Tuesday when a major opposition party petitioned the Sindh High Court against the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) for issuing no-objection certificates (NOCs) permitting construction within the designated area of the park.

An MPA and two local government representatives belonging to the Jamaat-i-Islami filed a petition before the SHC, asking it to restrain the authorities from carrying out any construction, development and commercialisation activities at Hill Park.

The petitioners argued that the impugned NOCs had been issued in clear violation of binding directions passed by the superior judiciary while a private entity was unlawfully conducting commercial activities within the premises of the park.

Citing the local government secretary, KMC, Karachi mayor and director general of parks as respondents, the petitioners submitted that around 62-acre Hill Park was designated as a public space under the master plan and applicable statutory frameworks.

JI petition states excavation work began at park after municipal authorities granted two NOCs in April

They said the Supreme Court as well as the SHC had issued several judgements about protection of the park as the courts had expressly prohibited any construction, commercialisation or encroachment upon designated public spaces and parks in Karachi specifically the Hill Park.

They submitted that despite constitutional and judicial safeguards, the KMC had issued two NOCs in April about Plot No 39-G-4, Block-6, PECHS Society, apparently permitting construction at Hill Park.

The petitioners claimed that following the NOCs, illegal construction had started at the park including excavation work and erection of boundary walls.

They contended that commercial activities were also being unlawfully conducted within the premises by a private entity, which is operating an indoor sports arena and charging a fee of Rs8,000 per two-hour slot despite the fact that such use had repeatedly been declared illegal by the judiciary.

Petitioners’ counsel Usman Farooq argued that the impugned NOCs and ongoing constructions at Hill Park have directly violated fundamental rights of citizens as guaranteed under Articles 9, 14 and 25 of the Constitution.

He maintained that the impugned NOCs were conditional, expressly stating that the same did not confirm ownership or demarcation and in the face of binding judicial directions specifically prohibiting construction at Hill Park, no NOC for any construction within the park can be lawfully issued.

He stated that Regulation 18-4.1 of the Karachi Building & Town Planning Regulations, 2002 provided in absolute and unqualified terms that no amenity plot reserved for a specific purpose must be converted or utilised for any other purpose.

The petitioners asked the SHC to set aside the impugned NOCs as being void and unlawful and restrain the respondents and all persons acting under their authority from carrying out any construction, development, commercialisation, or activity of any nature whatsoever at Hill Park in pursuance of the impugned NOCs or otherwise.

They also sought directives for the respondents to demolish and remove any structure or boundary wall raised and to restore the land to its original condition in strict and continuing compliance with the judgements and orders of the Supreme Court and SHC.

Plea against handing over Beach View Park

The JI also filed another petition in the SHC pleading to overturn a resolution of the City Council regarding handing the Beach View Park to a private organisation for the construction of a museum.

Citing LG secretary, KMC, mayor and others as respondents, Leader of the Opposition in the City Council Advocate Saifuddin of the JI submitted that the resolution was passed in deliberate violation of the procedural requirements of the Sindh Local Government Act, 2013 suppressing the rights of the petitioners and other elected members to deliberate upon the matter.

The petitioners stated that the City Council had passed a procedurally and substantively defective resolution on March 12, 2026 to award the Beach View Park land to the Citizens Archive of Pakistan for construction of a museum and such act was without legal authority and in direct violation of binding judicial pronouncements of the superior courts.

They asked the SHC to declare the impugned resolution as illegal, ultra vires and void ab initio and issue restraining order to respondents from awarding, leasing or transferring any portion of the park to any private entity.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2026