Daily Times

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) heard a case pertaining to billboards and hoardings installed in Karachi which became a major cause of causalities in the city amid recent rains.

The apex court bench, under Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, criticised Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, the Sindh government, K-Electric and others over what it called dereliction of duty. During the hearing, the CJP asked where the mayor of the city was, noting that Akhtar is always complaining about lack of powers.

“Go home if you do not have authority; why are you sitting as a mayor?” remarked the CJP. Justice Ahmed then inquired about the tenure of the mayor, to which Akhtar, who presented himself before the court, responded that he will leave the post on August 28. “Go, leave the city be,” lashed out the CJP, saying that the mayor of the city is responsible for the destruction of the city during their tenure. “The mayor Karachi seems to have a vendetta against the city, [even though] people voted for him so that he could do something for Karachi,” said the judge.

The CJP also commented on the issue of billboards causing accidents in the city, asking Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shalwani to submit a report on the matter. The Advocate General, Sindh was also present, who told the court that a case has been registered in the matter. “The entire city is full of billboards,” said the judge, adding that if these fall down then they can cause severe damage. “Let us do an inquiry on the past five years to see who installed these billboards,” remarked Justice Ijaz ul Ahsan. “There are so many billboards that airflow has been restricted. This is a violation of the law,” said the CJP.

The SSP South told the court that a case has been registered against two suspects for installing faulty billboards and that a search is underway. “Have they gone hiding in the sea? Don’t give lame statements before the court and go find them within half an hour,” the CJP remarked.

The commissioner Karachi then told the court that people have erected billboards on private property, and that hundreds of billboards were removed over the last four years. Later, the judges directed the officials to remove all the billboards and signboards from the city.

The CJP continued questioning the authorities, remarking that the Sindh government and the local bodies are ‘enemies of the city’. The CJP said that there does not seem to be any governance in Karachi. “Where is the writ of the Sindh government?” he asked the officials present before the court. He continued that the billboards issue has been in violation of building codes and the entire city presents a dismal picture due to piles of garbage and dirt. “It seems everyone takes out their chunk and abandons the city,” he said, adding that it looked like everyone is a part of a mafia.

The apex court then lambasted the sole power supplier of the city, saying that it will issue an order against KE. The CJP said that a case should be registered against KE and its entire administration should be placed on the ECL. He added that the directors of the power supplier should be arrested and sent to jail.