The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the authorities to demolish Aladin Shopping Mall and Pavilion End Club in Karachi within two days, reports Samaa. An anti-encroachment drive ordered by the SC has been underway in various parts of the city.
Demonstrators gathered on Tuesday to protest against shops being demolished. Shopkeepers protested on the road when the operation began. They were baton-charged by the police. Protesters threw stones at the law enforcement personnel.
Director Anti-Encroachment Bashir Siddiqui, who was leading the operation, said there is stiff resistance from the shopkeepers.
In a hearing on Monday, the SC declared the buildings illegal.“The land was unlawfully converted into a commercial area,” Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed said.
Justice Gulzar instructed the police and Rangers to begin the operation immediately. “Permission for commercial activity on land allotted to parks won’t be given at any cost,” the chief justice added.
However, Aladin Amusement Park and Pavilion End Club managements have asked the Supreme Court to review its decision.
Pavilion End Club employs more than 600 people, who dedicate their services to uplift the mood and experience of the visiting public and whose livelihood will be lost by the SC’s sudden decision, it said in a statement.
Demolishing them at such short notice will cause “distress to thousands of families who depend on it for their livelihood and those that depend on it for safe recreation staffed by a large group of security guards who maintain law and order and security to keep the facility safe and secure.”
