The Sindh government has advised the owners of hotels and guest houses in the city to move the Supreme Court, like the provincial government has through a review petition, to save their hospitality businesses from becoming a victim of the ongoing anti-encroachment drive in Karachi.
The advice to this effect was given by Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani on Friday as he met a delegation of Guest Houses and Hotels’ Association led by its President Tahir Orakzai at his office.
The delegation informed the minister that the anti-encroachment drive had now started targeting hotels and guest houses in the city, which had been lawfully built, and such an action will endanger the livelihoods of thousands of people associated with the city’s hospitality industry.
The delegation was of the viewpoint that such an action against guest houses and hotels was highly unwarranted as people running such businesses had been duly paying their taxes to the government and were also contributing towards progress of the national economy.
Ghani informed the delegation that the provincial government had nothing to do with the ongoing anti-encroachment drive as it was being carried out on the orders of the Supreme Court. He said the provincial authorities could not offer any concession to the affected quarters in the city in this regard.
“We know very well the serious concerns of the people who have been affected by this operation as we have been doing whatever we can do best within our domain for their restoration,” he said. “The Sindh government has moved the Supreme Court in this regard and the Guest Houses and Hotels’ Association should also follow suit.”
Centre files review petition
Meanwhile, a statement issued by Governor House on Friday quoted Sindh Governor Imran Ismail as saying that the federal government had filed its review petition in the Supreme Court to get the ongoing anti-encroachment operation halted.
The appeal has been moved with the request to the apex judiciary to review its decision regarding the anti-encroachment drive in the city allowing the government to take measures for restoration of the people who were affected by the operation, the statement read.
It added that Prime Minister Imran Khan after meeting Governor Ismail in Islamabad a few days ago directed the attorney general to file a review petition in the Supreme Court in view of the widespread concerns of the city’s residents.