KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC), on Tuesday, turned down pleas of federal government employees of Martin Quarters among others and ordered the Estate Office of Public Work Department (PWD) to resume the process of vacating federal government quarters.
In an earlier order, the SC had directed the PWD Estate Office to put the process of vacating federal government quarters on hold till July 31, 2018. This order was issued after Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar listened to the protesting families of employees.
“We have been living here for 20 years,” said a retired employee. In response, Justice Musheer Alam stated that possession would not turn legal even if someone was living in houses for 100 years. The Court went on to say that no one was entitled to government housing except present service staff.
The SC directed estate officers to make their decisions after hearing individual petitions by residents and ordered the General Administration secretary to hear petitions of individual residents. The court stated that applications of all residents of government quarters will be reviewed.
The SC also ordered retired employees and their families to vacate the quarters. Estate officers were ordered to wrap up matter of clearing illegal occupants of Pakistan Quarters and Pakistan Secretariat within 10 days.
A report submitted by deputy attorney general stated that 4,168 government quarters had been occupied illegally. According to the report, 639 houses in Martin Quarters, 301 in Patel Para and 49 houses in Garden and Pakistan Quarters were currently occupied illegally. The report further stated that occupied quarters in Bath Islands had already been vacated.
The report mentioned that advertisements had been published and final notices had already been issued to those residing in these quarters.
SC on June 9, 2018 had directed Sindh High Court (SHC) and lower courts to dispose of such pending cases within two months period.The federal government had declared families living in several federal housing colonies ‘illegal occupants.’
It is pertinent to mention here that PWD Estate Office had issued notices on July 11, 2018 to these families to vacate the houses situated in Pakistan Quarters, Jahangir Road, Martin Road, Jamsheed Quarters, Patel Para, Garden east and west, Jail Road, Lines Area, Federal Capital Area, Bath Island and Buffer Zone Shadman by August 10, 2018.
Reportedly, the government was working on a plan to build housing, flats and commercial projects on these places. PWD Works and Services Chief Engineer Nadeem Akhtar, while confirming this step, said that compliance from dwellers in this respect was obligatory on directives of Estate Office PWD.
Meanwhile, federal government employees including women and children protested outside Supreme Court Karachi Registry against the issued verdict. Residents of Pakistan Quarters claimed that the quarters were not the property of federal government and the housing units were constructed on evacuated property.
According to them, federal government had not spent a single penny since 1980 for maintenance of quarters and they had themselves maintained the houses. The protesting residents also said that they had been living in these localities for decades now and they were legal owners of their houses.
Many households living in these localities have been there for decades and they also claimed to be legal owners of their houses.
Published in Daily Times, August 1st 2018.