SHC summons culture secretary on Feb 3 over encroachment complaint

Karachi
The Sindh High Court on Friday ordered the provincial culture and heritage secretary to appear in person on February 3 with an original demarcation plan of the Chowkundi graveyard to clarify efforts being made against alleged illegal encroachments at the historic site.
The directives came on a petition filed by Agha Syed Attaullah Shah over lax maintenance and encroachment activities at the historic graveyard. Submitting that the graveyard, spread over almost 57 acres off the National Highway near Landhi, was a national heritage site, he pointed out that it was the family graveyard of the Jokhio and Baloch tribes who lived in the area from the 15th to the 18th century.
Shah claimed that influential people were behind the removal of precious carved stones from the graveyard, alleging the artefacts were now being used for decorative purposes in their drawing rooms.
He added that it was the same people who were encroaching upon the graveyard’s land to build hotels, houses, offices and truck stands, all of which was being ignored by the chief secretary, culture secretary and the Malir Development Authority.
The complainant asserted the graveyard’s dilapidated condition was down to the fact that these respondents were neglecting the duties they had been assigned under the Sindh Cultural Heritage (Preservation) Act, 1994 and National Fund for Cultural Heritage Ordinance, 1994.
Shah said the court had previously ordered a stop to all illegal construction at the site and declared that no one be allowed to vandalise the heritage site. However, he added, no comments or progress report over the matter was ever filed by the respondents.
“In August 2013, the SHC had directed the secretary culture and heritage to file comments and a progress report over steps taken to protect this heritage site. The department was also told to file a map of the graveyard’s total area for the court’s benefit, but none of the orders were ever fulfilled,” said the complainant.
The court noted the culture and heritage department had failed to comply with previous orders in the matter and summoned the department secretary on February 3 with an original demarcation plan and any other documents that may facilitate the probe.
The secretary was also told to furnish an explanation over non-compliance of the previous order.