THIS is apropos the editorial ‘Reprieve for Bahria Town’ (March 24). The Supreme Court’s latest verdict accepting the real estate king’s offer of Rs460 billion payable in installments over seven-year-long period, in fact, is more than a reprieve, rather a windfall for Bahria.

Though some safeguards and conditionalities are in place, one cannot rule out dilatory tactics by the juggernaut, having at his disposal the services of a team of top players to interpret and misinterpret any legal point.

There were two main players in this scandal and one group of hapless stakeholders. Among the two were Bahria and as noted in the editorial ‘Sindh’s venal bureaucracy’. Of these, Bahria escapes free with its Rs460 billion offer, while the bureaucracy or the political spinners over-viewing the scam remain untouched.

Meanwhile, the group of stakeholders — the rightful owners — appear to be completely ignored and disregarded. As pointed out in your editorial, Bahria Karachi’s encroachments extend to at least 30,000 acres. In fact, this is the area where the owners have been living for ages and surely remain vulnerable against what you rightly described as unbridled mafia with connections within the highest echelons of power.

Rightly, therefore, some voices in support of the owners were heard prior to the latest Supreme Court verdict, opposing any kind of Bahria offer. One, however, now wonders what remains in store for the hapless age-old owners. Scope for optimism in this regard seems very acute and unfortunately no light is seen at the end of the tunnel.

Nasser Brohi

Karachi

Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2019