ISLAMABAD: The Kara­chi Port Trust (KPT) on Thurs­day informed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that it had evolved a strict policy to counter encroachment and sacked a number of senior officers who were involved in grabbing its land.

KPT chairman Rear Admiral Jamil Akhtar told a meeting of the PAC presided over by Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah that the sacked officers had filed petitions in courts seeking their reinstatement, but the management stuck to its decision and was pursuing the matter in courts steadfastly.

He said that in order to avoid decade-long litigation over land disputes, they had decided to settle these with the Sindh government outside the court. “We are trying to settle the land dispute in the best interest of the KPT and the Sindh government,” he said.

Ports and Shipping Secretary Mumtaz Ali informed the committee that the ministry had revised the centuries-old shipping laws and the proposed legislation would soon be tabled before the federal cabinet.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2018