The Supreme Court has sought a report from the Sindh government regarding the total land occupied by Bahria Town in Karachi.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa heard the Bahria Town Karachi implementation case in the Supreme Court on Wednesday. Salman Aslam Butt, the lawyer for housing society owner Malik Riaz, appeared in court.
The court also ordered the Sindh government and the Malir Development Authority (MDA) to conduct a survey and also made the petitioner, Mehmood Akhtar Naqvi, part of the survey team.
The hearing was adjourned till November 23.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court immediately summoned details of the money deposited in the Supreme Court by Bahria Town and summoned the court’s accountant.
The CJP instructed Malik Riaz’s lawyer to contact his client, saying he should first get instructions as members of the same family were involved. “We don’t want that the court issues an order and then objections are raised,” he added.
During the hearing, Justice Athar Minallah remarked that the order of the Supreme Court will be followed at all costs otherwise the court will set an example through this case. Lawyer Salman Aslam Butt said the law of the country will prevail, not the decision of the Supreme Court.
The CJP inquired whether the decision of the Supreme Court was above the law, to which the lawyer said there were several decisions that agreements should not be violated.
CJP Isa remarked that the case pertained to a decision of 2019, while his client neither filed a contempt plea nor did they implement it. “We terminate the decision and restore you to the original position. You are looking for excuses for not paying,” he stressed.
The lawyer replied that his client was ready to pay, but asked for the complete land. The CJP said the map he was showing was self-made, and asked for the government map. The lawyer said the map was MDA-approved.
The chief justice reprimanded the lawyer, saying this was not Hollywood or Bollywood where he was acting. “You’re not coming to the legal point.”
Later, the Supreme Court sought reports from the Sindh government regarding the land occupied by Bahria Town.
In the order issued by the Supreme Court, it was said that Bahria Town and Malir Development Authority should submit a report with evidence, while the Sindh government and MDA should also conduct a survey of the land.
The decree said that the representative of Bahria Town will also accompany the survey team, and the allegations of occupation of government land should also be reviewed in the survey.
The Supreme Court also made the petitioner Mahmood Akhtar Naqvi a part of the survey team and ordered to submit the survey report to the court on November 23.
The ruling said that according to the counsel for Mashreq Bank, the details of the sender of the money can be given only after receiving the data, Mashreq Bank should provide the details of the sender of the money after receiving the relevant information, 190 million pounds and other requests related to Bahria Town will also be heard. .
