KARACHI: Residents of Clifton Block 5 staged a peaceful protest on Saturday at The Justice Rana Bhagwandas Family Park to oppose plans to convert neighbourhood parks into padel courts and commercial spaces. The protest highlighted growing concerns over the encroachment and commercialisation of public recreational areas.
The Justice Rana Bhagwandas Family Park and Dr Fareduddin Sethna Family Park were renovated in 2022 under the World Bank–funded Karachi Neighbourhood Improvement Project (KNIP) using public funds. Residents argued that these parks, featuring walkways, greenery, benches, and lighting, are being dismantled for private purposes, creating noise, late-night activity, and traffic in previously peaceful residential areas.
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Legal experts note that both the Sindh High Court and Supreme Court have ruled that public amenity lands, including parks, cannot be leased or converted for private or commercial use. Residents have joined a constitutional petition at the SHC seeking to halt all commercial construction and ensure these parks remain public, safe, and family-friendly spaces.
Meanwhile, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) demolished outer walls of Beach Park and Bagh Ibn-i-Qasim in Clifton, claiming the move would make the parks more open and accessible. Opposition leaders have condemned the action as a criminal misuse of authority, demanding an immediate halt to demolitions and reconstruction of the destroyed walls, while questioning how safety and demarcation would be maintained without protective boundaries.
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The protests and legal challenges reflect ongoing tensions between residents’ demands to protect public spaces and municipal authorities’ urban development plans, raising questions about the management and preservation of Karachi’s landmark parks.