On Thursday, the court, continuing its crusading spirit, sought a detailed report within two weeks from provincial authorities on the steps they intended to take towards this end, which the Sindh Advocate General partially addressed. It further decreed that all commercial activities in buildings illegally constructed on military land lying in all Karachi cantonment boards should be discontinued, with the concerned board heads to report personally on next hearing date. It continued in the PPP’s reign, with Asif Zardari long being a proponent of Karachi’s ‘vertical development’. Compensation to those whose houses are being demolished and businesses ruined, and their rehabilitation, poses serious humanitarian and law-and-order problems. Already, water cannons are being employed to counter violent protests, Sindh Local Government minister has talked of resigning if ordered to demolish thousands of Karachi buildings, and perhaps a realistic rethink may be considered.

Source: Pakistan Today January 25, 2019 15:00 UTC