KARACHI: While expressing serious resentment with officials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) for flouting its earlier order regarding the Karachi Cotton Exchange building, the Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed them to de-seal the historical building.

The SHC also ordered the alleged contemnors to submit a compliance report at next hearing after de-sealing the subject building, which was sealed in a joint raid by the ETPB and Federal Investigation Agency in December after claiming it as a federal trust property.

Citing chairman of ETPB Qamar-uz-Zaman, administrator/zonal head of ETPB Karachi Asif Khan and deputy administrator Shahid Ali as alleged contemnors, the Karachi Cotton Association (KCA) and other petitioners have filed applications seeking contempt proceedings against them for wilfully disregarding the SHC judgement, handed down on June 18, and refusing to hand over the building to the petitioners.

They also submitted that the bench had referred the ownership dispute of the building to the chairman of the ETPB with direction to decide it within 90 days after providing a fair opportunity to all interested parties and also allowed the KCA to enjoy possession of the property till the determination of the property’s status.

At the last hearing, the ETPB had informed the bench that its chairman had decided the ownership disputed about the building on July 30, declaring it as the federal evacuee trust property.

When the matter came up for hearing before a two-judge constitutional bench of the SHC headed by Justice Mohammad Saleem Jessar on Wednesday, the administrator of ETPB Karachi along with his lawyer turned up and the bench came down hard on the alleged contemnor for disregarding its order.

The counsel for the alleged contemnor submitted that since the chairman of ETPB had decided the matter in line with court order, therefore, these applications seeking contempt proceedings were not maintainable.

The lawyer also argued that besides publication of a public notice in newspapers, notices were also issued to the parties concerned about the hearing before the ETPB chief while the appellants/petitioners have also obtained an interim restraining order from the SHC against the decision of the ETPB chairman.

The lawyers for applicants contended that the documents related the subject property were in the building which has neither been de-sealed nor handed over to the applicants despite clear directives issued by the SHC.

After hearing both sides, the bench in its order said: “By virtue of main order, specific directions were given to the parties that the petitioners shall enjoy possession. Instead the respondents/alleged contemnors have passed order and notified the property to be evacuee trust property without making compliance of the court’s order, which in our view is in clear defiance of court’s order and tantamount to an offence within the meaning of Article 204 of the Constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973.”

It also stated that when the bench confronted the alleged contemnor for not implementing its order, his counsel claimed that no case of contempt was made out as the authority has already decided the ownership dispute in terms of the SHC order.

Adjourning the hearing till Sept 9, the bench stated: “We are not satisfied with the assertions made by the alleged contemnor. In view of this the alleged contemnors are directed to de-seal the property in question and submit compliance report before the next date of hearing.”

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2026