foiled
Dr Zubair said the KU had also obstructed the administration of a mosque from extending its external walls. “There is a mosque illegally constructed on KU land outside the campus. The unauthorised construction began in recent years and although the matter is in the court, there are attempts to further expand it.”
Dr Zubair, who is also the chairman of the university’s Islamic history department, said the KU team found that labourers were raising the external walls of the disputed mosque and had also dug up a nearby piece of land.
“The KU officials made them stop the work and warned them that they would take the matter to the court”
In February, the Sindh High Court, headed by Justice Munib Akhtar, had restrained the construction of a seminary over a 3,000-square-yard land on the KU premises, he recalled.
The KU had filed a lawsuit against the administrator of the Jamia Fareedia Moin-ul-Quran for encroaching upon the KU land with help of corrupt employees of the defunct Karachi Development Authority.
Shops cleared
Dr Zubair said the KU also removed against illegal constructed shops and roadside vendors on KU land in front of the its main entrance, the Silver Jubilee Gate.
Despite frequent reminders and warnings, a real estate agent had put up huge billboards on the university’s land.
The KU also removed those signboards, Dr Zubair added.
He said the KU authorities had also issued a notice to the fast food outlet built on the university’s land.
“A large power generator was placed on our land while the fast food outlet was paying around Rs1,20, 000 in lieu of rent to unauthorised people instead of the KU administration,” he added.
Illegal farms
He also said before Eid-ul-Fitr, the KU had recovered a large piece of its land after removing a cattle farm that had around 53 animals including 35 buffalos, two horses and goats.
“The ‘Babu ka Bara’ was being operated by the employees of the transport department without any permission. The cattle farm was set up inside the campus.”
Around 14.5 acres of KU property was being illegally used as agriculture land and the people involved in it were also using the university’s power and water supply as well as other facilities. Some other people were using 10.5 and 6.5 acres separately for the same purpose and they too were removed before Eid,” said Dr Zubair.