KMC declares six graveyards closed

Mayor orders arranging land for new cemeteries

Six graveyards of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) were declared closed on Wednesday after the city mayor took notice of burials in cemeteries that were already filled to capacity. 

Following the directives of Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar, the KMC officials concerned announced that the Azeempura graveyard in Shah Faisal Colony and the Colony Gate graveyard had been declared closed. The Jamia Millia cemetery will be available for burial as an alternative.

Similarly, the Moula Bux graveyard in Korangi No 6 has also been closed and its alternate will be the Chakra Goth graveyard.

After the closure of the Model Colony graveyard, residents of the Malir Model Colony are left with the Malir Cantt Graveyard in Mathapan area. 

With the closure of Paposh Nagar Graveyard in North Nazimabad, the alternate cemetery is the Mohammad Shah graveyard in Siddiqabad area.

The Yaseenabad graveyard in Gulberg has also been closed and the available cemetery in North Karachi is the Mohammad Shah Graveyard. 

The issue, however, remains far from being resolved as most of the cemeteries in the city are left with no space for new graves, and the graveyard mafia keeps digging new graves against heavy amounts in the already-filled cemeteries. 

The city mayor has issued directives to the officers concerned to arrange land for new graveyards and launch a crackdown against mafias involved in illegally occupying lands in graveyards. 

He also directed the KMC officials to take stern action against those grave diggers and KM C staffers who were demolishing old graves for new burial.

 

Weapons found  

The Sindh Rangers on Wednesday recovered a huge cache of weapons buried in a graveyard that was officially declared closed for new burials by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation on the same day.

According to a spokesman for the paramilitary force, a huge amount of weapons was seized by the Rangers in the Yaseenabad graveyard, Azizabad area. He said the seized weapons belonged to militants of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) London.  

The weapons include two Light Machine guns, five Submachines, a 30 bore rifle, three repeater rifles, two 9mm pistols, four 30 bore pistols, a 32 bore pistol and more than 300 bullets of different calibers.

He said the buried weapons could be used to create unrest in the city and for target killings.

The Rangers has once again requested the public to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activities to Rangers Helpline 1101 or 0316-2369996 (WhatsApp number). The name of the informant shall be kept secret.