Daily Times

KARACHI: The Chief Minister Sindh has cancelled the illegally allotted 30 acres of land to Horticulture Society of Pakistan.

Through a letter PSCM/CMS/2017/47, June 16, 2017, the CM has directed Secretary Land Utilization Department Sindh to ask Commissioner Karachi and Deputy Commissioner East Karachi to implement the orders in this effect.

The land lies in NA-Class 187 Deh Ockewari District East Karachi near Alladin Park Sunday Bazaar.

Accordingly, the letter of the secretary Land Utilization Department on April 21, 2017, regularizing 5 acres of land in favour of Wasif Siddiqi Associates should also be immediately withdrawn.

The Chief Secretary Sindh has already been entrusted the inquiry to fix the responsibility for issuance of the regularization letter for the subject land in contravention of the judgment of SHC.

This land had been allotted to Horticulture Society for botanical garden in 1983-84. Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s former Mayor Dr Farooq Sattar had also announced of creating a botanical garden on the said land.

The Sindh Board of Revenue and Horticulture Society lately have been involved in litigation on issue of land allotment.

Wasif Siddiqi Associates had been leased out an area of 5 acres of this land, already allotted to the Horticulture Society vide letter N4-11/misc-G(K)1, March 6, 1991 by the Secretary Land Utilization Department.

However, as per referred judgment of the Sindh High Court, subsequent lease to Wasif Associates stays cancelled as Associates was one of the respondents in CP 520 of 1991.

In spite of the fact that on account of announcement of mentioned judgment of the SHC which resulted in cancellation of allotment, lease of 5 acres of land in favour of Siddiqi Associates, the said allotment has been regularized vide letter 01-149-02/SO-1/228/17, April 21, 2017 of the Secretary of government of Sindh Land Utilization Department.

It had been widely reported in the media that a piece o land which was held by Horticultural Society has been illegally allotted and has been regularized in favour of a private person through Sindh government land committee constituted under the Sindh Government Lands (Cancellation of allotments, conversions and exchanges) Ordinance, 2000.

It has been found from the relevant papers obtained from the utilization department that the Horticultural Society of Pakistan had challenged the cancellation of allotment of land in High Court.

The SHC through Judgment March 24, 2005 allowed the petition and declared the cancellation of the allotment in favour of the petitioner society to be without lawful authority.