KARACHI: Pakistan Post officials are embroiled in a legal battle over the status of their houses located in the Pakistan Post Office Employees Cooperative Housing Society.
The society is locked in a dispute over ownership with the Sindh Board of Revenue (SBR) department, which contends that the area is protected under the Sindh Goth-Abad (Housing Scheme) Act 1987.
The SBR department has argued that the housing society is built on rural village land belonging to Abdullah Shah Ghazi Goth and is protected under the village development scheme.
As a result, officers of the postal department who own plots in the society face uncertainty over the status of their homes.
The housing society’s lawyer argued before the Sindh High Court that the scheme was intended to protect ancient villages within the Karachi division from land grabbing by unscrupulous elements.
However, he maintained that the scheme was being misused by people to take over the land.
In response, the SBR counsel submitted a report stating that 1000-yard bungalows have been built on the land belonging to the goth.
The counsel argued that the housing society members have neither ownership rights nor any legal documents, casting doubt on their title.
The housing society’s counsel further pointed out that the Supreme Court had ordered that no village could be established in urban areas.
However, 65 acres of land belonging to the Pakistan Post Office Society had been encroached upon on the pretext of the Goth Abad scheme.
The lawyer for the East district assistant commissioner argued that the society had purchased land adjacent to the rural area, which was not protected under the Goth-Abad scheme.
Due to a lack of time, the court adjourned the case until April 18. The uncertainty surrounding the status of the houses of Pakistan Post officials in the housing society persists, with the case yet to be resolved.
