The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to probe into the alleged encroachments made by Ziauddin Hospital’s management, and sought report in this regard within two months.
The SHC bench, headed by Justice Irfan Saadat, was hearing the petition filed by Rana Faizul Hassan, Secretary General of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, who sought removal of encroachments made by the Ziauddin Hospital’s management in North Nazimabad.
The court noted that the plot in Block 14, North Nazimabad, was allotted by the City District Government Karachi (CDGK) to Hockey Association West (HAW) but it was hardly used as a playground. In fact the plot was being used for commercial activities such as parking and marriage hall. Such acts were in the knowledge of authorities concerned but no action was taken against the responsible.
The bench referred the matter to the NAB chairman for investigating whether the officials of KMC, HAW and the management of by Ziauddin Hospital were responsible for this apparent commercial use of an amenity plot. The court directed the NAB to complete the investigation within two months and file the comprehensive report in the court.
Earlier, the petitioner had stated that the hospital’s management had encroached the lands which were originally allocated for the park in North Nazimabad and Sheerin Jinnah Colony areas of Karachi. “The lands were allocated for the parks and play areas but now these were being used as the hospital’s parking as the authorities concerned had failed to remove the encroachments,” the petitioner submitted.