SHC suspends Sindh govt move to hand over iconic Karachi park to Bahria Town

The Sindh High Court on Monday suspended a provincial government notification to hand over Karachi’s iconic park, Bagh Ibn-e-Qasim, to real estate giant Bahria Town for 10 years.

A special bench of the SHC was hearing a petition filed by Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leader and Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar.

Akhtar’s petition followed a notification issued by the Sindh local government ministry which stated that the decision to hand over the park “for adoption” had been taken after its approval by a competent authority, but made it clear that salary of its staff would be paid by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC).

For this ‘handover’, the Pakistan Peoples Party-led Sindh government had first taken over the control of the park from the city’s municipal administration, which is dominated mainly by the Muttahida Qaumi Movement.

Provincial authorities claimed the move would save funds and encourage private organisations to carry out social work and public service.

Source: Dawn