Demolition drive, protest and political strife in Karachi
Around 70 farmhouses razed across five dehs, two sub-divisions of Malir
A farmhouse being razed on the first day of a three-day anti-encroachment drive in Malir. The move sparked a protest, fol-lowing which the operation was suspended for the day. PHOTO: EXPRESS
KARACHI:
Citizens and cops clashed in Malir on Saturday, in the backdrop of an anti-encroachment drive, during which approximately 70 farm houses across five dehs and two sub-divisions were demolished and 548 acres of allegedly illegally occupied land was vacated.
Given that most of these farm houses were owned by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders- notably opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh- their relatives and other influential personalities, the demolition drive led finger pointing, with the ruling party in Sindh, the Pakistan Peoples Party, and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf engaging in a war of words.
Order issued to recover land worth Rs. 24 billion: Minister
Karachi, January 25, 2021 (PPI-OT): Provincial Minister for Industries and Commerce and Anti-Corruption and Cooperative Department Jam Ikramullah Dharejo has said that Sindh government is taking action against corrupt officials without any discrimination. Instructions have been issued to the concerned Deputy Commissioners to get government lands vacated worth more than Rs 24 billion, he said while addressing a press conference in the media cell of the Archives Department today.
He said that five cases had been registered against local government officials, 64 against the Board of Revenue, two each against health, works and services and the cooperation department. Dharejo added, “FIRs have been registered against the accused as per law”. Two FIRs have been approved against the Local Government Department. One of the cases involved a misappropriation of about Rs11,837,034, while in the other cases, the accused, in conniv