KARACHI, May 31: After encroaching upon 17 acres of prime land in the National Stadium, the housing directorate of the Pakistan Army have launched a housing scheme for officers, with the “blessings” of the chief of Board for Cricket Control, Pakistan.
“Before the army stepped into the housing project, the Pakistan Steel, the KDA Officers Society and former DC East had also taken their share in the booty, sending a strong message to the citizens that no open land in Karachi is safe from the land mafia, operating in the city with the active connivance of the ruling elite and bureaucracy”.
This was stated by Pakistan Tehrik Insaf vice president Dr Arif Ali while speaking at a press conference at Karachi Press Club. PTI leaders Najeeb Haroon and Imran Ismail were also present.
He said this has deprived the city of potentially green area which is meant for public utilization.
“Those involved in this act of land-grabbing, instead of serving any cause of the army, have brought a bad name to the GHQ”.
Mr Alvi appealed to President Gen Pervez Musharraf to give this land back to National Stadium as envisaged in the lease deed.
He urged the people to stand up to protest against this “encroachment” and said that the SHC should take a suo moto notice of the situation.
According to the documents provided by the PTI leader, the property of National stadium and its surrounding land belonged to the PCCB since 1953 when the stadium was urgently constructed for the visit of the Indian Cricket Team to Pakistan. The land was described in the books as Naclass 177 in “Deh Okewari”. On the request of BCCP chairman, Air Marshal Noor Khan, this land, measuring 104 acres, was allotted on a 99-year lease basis to the the cricket board by President Zia-ul-Haque, vide registered deed (dated Dec 6, 1980).
However, despite repeated requests, its demarcation was not done by the DC East and finding open space, the Pakistan Steel encroached upon 17 acres of the land on the western side of the stadium for parking its bus fleet.
In 1985 when the matter was taken up on the orders of Chairman of Pakistan Steel H.N. Akhtar, 12 acres were surrendered to the Karachi Cricket Association with a promise that the rest of the land would also be vacated.
Finding the gold-mine open, the KDA jumped into the fray and in 1986 extended its Gulshan Scheme into this area and cut out 65 plots in which more than seven plots were reportedly allotted to judges of the Sindh High Court, including Syed Ghous Ali Shah.
Taking advantage of the situation, the KDA officers society also encroached a major part of this land by constructing all the roads leading to this society on the stadium land.
Likewise, the DC East occupied six acres of the stadium land across the road between National Coaching Centre and Aga Khan Hospital and started constructions on it and another chunk of 5.36 acres was allotted by DC East\KDA to the political and land mafia where today A-1 Plaza and other buildings, along with their front and back roads, are located.
Mr Alvi said in 1987, after failing to get any help from the authorities to stop the encroachment, the BCCP served a notice to the station commander and the KDA to vacate the land but getting no response, a suit No 244 of 1988 was filed in the Sindh High court and got stay against encroachment.
However, in 1994 with the help of the then President, Ghulam Ishaq Khan, a compromise was reached. The DC East was told to return the occupied area in lieu of Rs 25 lakh which were spent on construction and that the army was asked not to insist on possessing the land returned by the Pakistan Steel. A Rifle Club was established in the area but the high court issued a notice of contempt and the matter was stopped.
The PTI leader said it was surprising that the PCCB quietly withdrew the suit in the high court of Sindh and about 17 acres were restored to the army which started an army Officers Housing Scheme under the housing directorate of the GHQ as evident from the board fixed outside the boundary.
Calling upon the authorities to pay attention to the issue, he said that plots already had been allotted and roads were being constructed on this land.
He recalled that the capacity of the stadium at present was 35000 and any future development of the stadium could increase the capacity to 100,000 people or more as in Eden Gardens Calcutta and other big cities of the world, but this could not be possible without sparing the land from occupation.
Accusing the rulers of extending a step-motherly treatment to Karachi, Mr Alvi said in Lahore when the Race Club was shifted outside the city, the land was used for a beautiful Japanese Garden Park but in Karachi a portion of the race club was used for Askari apartments. In Lahore vast amounts of green spaces exist on both sides of the road where fountains and playgrounds had been developed while in Karachi even Sharae faisal is bordered by tall concrete structures, he said.