Sindh acts against land grabbing following ABAD complaints

KARACHI: Following complaints from the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) regarding land grabbing and encroachments, relief efforts have commenced for ABAD members, builders and developers under the directives of Chairperson of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

According to an ABAD statement issued on Tuesday, the relief is being provided through a steering committee formed by Chief Minister of Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah. In the first phase, out of the 22 cases filed by ABAD against land encroachments and land-grabbing mafias, 14 cases were fully investigated. Anti-corruption inquiries were ordered in two cases, five cases were resolved and instructions were issued to the relevant departments regarding the remaining cases.

ABAD Chairperson Muhammad Hassan Bakhshi expressed gratitude to Bilawal and the Sindh government, expressing that this initiative has restored business confidence. He urged the government to further strengthen the campaign against land-grabbing mafias and illegal encroachments.

According to details, on January 29, Bilawal addressed traders across Sindh and directed the Sindh chief minister to resolve issues faced by the business community. Acting on this directive, the chief minister formed a steering committee led by Provincial Interior Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar to oversee land-grabbing and encroachment issues.

The committee held its first meeting under the chairmanship of Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, with key officials in attendance, including the Sindh home secretary, inspector general of Sindh Police, additional IG Sindh, chairperson of anti-corruption, senior members of the Sindh Board of Revenue, ABAD Chairman Muhammad Hassan Bakhshi, Senior Vice Chairman Syed Afzal Hamid, and representatives from KATI, the Karachi Chamber of Commerce, and other trade organisations.

During the meeting, ABAD’s Syed Afzal Hamid briefed the committee on the illegal occupation of ABAD members’ land, primarily in the districts of East, West, Malir and Kemari. In response, Minister Lanjar formed a sub-committee led by the Karachi commissioner and instructed it to present a comprehensive report within 15 days on ABAD’s complaints, legal hurdles and necessary actions.

At the steering committee’s second meeting, the Karachi commissioner reported that seven complaints had been resolved following thorough investigations. Further inquiries into other cases are ongoing. Minister Lanjar ordered the suspension of the SHO of Gulshan-e-Maymar for facilitating land-grabbing mafias and transferred the Anti-Encroachment Revenue Department Police (West), while initiating an inquiry against them.

The interior minister emphasised that while it is not feasible to resolve older cases immediately, certain legal complexities will be addressed to ensure their resolution. Moving forward, any new cases of illegal occupation will be cleared within 24 hours after verifying the necessary legal documents.

The ABAD chairperson welcomed this progress, thanked PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the Sindh government, and called for a more robust anti-encroachment drive. He urged the government to accelerate actions against land-grabbing mafias and ensure a favourable environment for ongoing development projects. He expressed hope that the Sindh government and law enforcement agencies would continue strengthening this initiative to promote legal business activities and restore investor confidence in Karachi and across Sindh.