Nasla Tower case has heightened the sense of injustice

Law enforcement in the Nasla Tower case has heightened the sense of injustice. THE last act in the struggle over Karachi’s 15-story Nasla Tower has begun. The Supreme Court ordered on Monday that the structure be abandoned by today and demolished by controlled explosion within a week; considering that the Sindh government admits it lacks the skills for such an operation, there are legitimate safety concerns.

A three-judge apex court bench determined that a substantial portion of Nasla Tower had been built on encroached land intended for a service road and ordered its demolition. Last month, the building’s fate was sealed when the court denied the owners/builders’ review petition and told the residents one month to vacate. To summarise will bury many residents’ hopes of owning a home beneath the debris of the Nasla Tower.

Addressing the widespread land-use inconsistencies that exist throughout Karachi — encroachments on amenity plots, unauthorized allotments, and unlawful construction, to name a few — is an admirable endeavor. For several years, the priceless real estate in Pakistan’s financial metropolis has been transformed into a stage for brazen racketeering. Numerous government officials and unscrupulous builders have flouted regulatory restrictions, conspiring to earn unlawful profits and deprive state coffers of the necessary money. Law enforcement in the Nasla Tower case has heightened the sense of injustice.

However, one cannot disregard the human pain that frequently arises from attempting to rectify decades-old wrongs. On Monday, this point was also made when the Supreme Court expressed disappointment with the Sindh government’s slow progress in rehabilitating thousands of people displaced by demolitions along with the Gujjar, Orangi Town, and Mehmoodabad nullahs. Additionally, the sense of injustice is heightened when the writ of the law appears to be selectively applied. Law enforcement in the Nasla Tower case has heightened the sense of injustice. At the same time, some offenders operate with impunity in defiance of the top court’s orders.

Consider that most encroachment clearance has occurred on land governed by the Sindh government. Structures illegally constructed in cantonment zones continue to stand despite demolishing orders dating back to August 2018. The authorities are responsible for enabling the encroachment on public places through electricity and gas connections should be held accountable and sanctioned. And this accountability must be uniformly applied throughout Karachi so that the city’s numerous land-owning agencies understand that their ‘institutional clout’ will not protect them.

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