Karachi: The Sindh government has removed three key officials posted in the suburbs of Karachi on the complaint of residents who fear eviction from their ancestral homes in the rural parts of the city as a result of the rapid expansion of an elite residential estate.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah ordered removal from their posts the Station House Officer of the area Police Station, the area assistant commissioner, and Mukhtiarkar (revenue official) posted in the Gadap area of the city that comprises of several small villages.
Inquiry has also been ordered against the conduct of these officials for allegedly conniving with the management of the elite residential estate.
Earlier, the villagers in the rural parts of Karachi’s suburbs sustained injuries as they violently clashed with the security staff of Bahria Town Karachi the elite housing project in the city whose rapid expansion on outskirts of the city has become highly controversial.
The natives of the rural parts of Karachi said that they had been compelled to protest against the unjust expansion of Bahria Town to save their ancestral homes and farmlands where they had been living since last several decades.
The police also lodged a criminal case against the Bahria Town’s security officials after the protesting villagers were subjected to violence as they were later hospitalised after sustaining injuries.
Violent protests
Chairman of Pakistan Peoples’ Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, took cognisance of the incident after the incident of violent protests was widely reported on the social media.
Bilawal asked the Sindh government to take stern action to protect legitimate interests of the natives of the rural parts of Karachi.
Sindh CM while ordering the removal of the officials, said that due legitimate rights of the natives of rural parts of Karachi would be fully protected as injustice would not be committed in their case.
He said that the natives of the suburban parts of Karachi would not be subjected to any excess as all their lawful rights would be duly protected.
