Governor vows to play role to get lease rights for KPC

Sindh Governor Imran Ismail has said he will play his role so that the Karachi Press Club (KPC) gets due lease rights of the historical building on Sarwar Shaheed Road near Saddar, in which it is housed since the time of its inception in the 1950s.

He held out the assurance on Monday as he met a nine-member representative delegation of the KPC Governing Body led by its president, Ahmed Khan Malik. The delegation comprised KPC Secretary Maqsood Yousufi, other office-bearers and members of the governing body.

The governor assured the delegation that he would talk to the relevant authorities so that the desired no-objection certificate was issued to the press club, enabling it to get lease rights of the historical building in which it was housed. He said he would intervene in the issue so that it could be resolved on a permanent basis, enabling the KPC to continue its existence in the historical building.

He vowed that he would also talk to the relevant agencies to resolve the long-pending issue of the occupation of a portion of land reserved for journalists in Hawkesbay Scheme 42, affecting scores of plots allotted to journalists.

Ismail said the Karachi Press Club had an important and central status in the democratic struggle of the country as its members had always played the due role for strengthening democracy and democratic dispensation in the country.

He said the KPC building was of historical importance as its status was much similar to that of the Hyde Park of London as everyone came to the press club to make speeches and enjoy freedom of speech. The delegation invited the governor to visit the press club and informed him that Prime Minister Imran Khan was a lifetime member of the club.