Public parks are not the sole property of the government. Rather, the citizenry can claim joint ownership given that they pay for their development and upkeep by way of taxation. Therefore the unilateral decision by the Sindh government to handover Karachi’s iconic public park “Bagh Ibn-e-Qasim” to the real estate conglomerate Bahria Town must be pooh-poohed. The fact that the local city administration, including the mayor, was bypassed in the decision making process simply highlights the provincial government’s disregard of the city authorities. Yet this is not a mere matter of respecting procedural hierarchies. In its manoeuvring, the Sindh government is effectively affording legal cover to land encroachment-cum-takeover. Already, public recreation spaces within the metropolis are shrinking. Moreover, directives providing that park employees will continue to be paid from the Karachi Metropolitan Company (KMC) kitty further complicate the situation. Indeed, it hints at some kind of under-the-table done deal with the private development company. Over the years, urbanisation of Pakistan’s cities has resulted in the increasing loss of green belts. Karachi is no different although, here, the problem is aggravated by land mafias that have for years been encroaching upon public land, including parks and real estate development plots through means of wielding political clout. The loss of large green belts has also exacerbated the very real issue of climate change. Over the last couple of years, heat waves in Karachi have claimed several hundred lives. Partial responsibility rests with the local authorities and their penchant for tree felling. Not to mention the removal of public drinking fountains during the month of Ramzan. Tax paying citizens do not deserve such administrators who believe they own every public place and are theirs to exploit for personal gains at the very real expense of the poorest of the poor.