SC hints at notices for PM, CM if KCR not restored

KARACHI: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Friday hinted that contempt notices would be issued to Prime Minister Imran Khan and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah if the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) is not made operational within six months.The hearing over the mass transit project was held at Karachi’s Supreme Court Registry and Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed headed the bench. The other members of the bench included Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Sajjad Ali Shah. Advocate General Salman Talibuddin presented a plan for the restoration of the transit

project and claimed that progress has been made. The railways secretary seconded the law official’s claim and said work to restore KCR has commenced. The chief justice asked: “What were you doing before? What measures were taken by Pakistan Railways officials earlier to restore the project? You are not competent to run this intuition. We know you won’t restore the circular railway. You are giving people false hopes.”

The railways secretary assured the chief justice that KCR would be restored. However, the chief justice said the authorities must take into account grievances of citizens.

The federal government is sleeping, Justice Ahmed said and added: “Look where the world is going and look where we are.”

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Karachi President Firdous Shamim Naqvi opposed the demolition of encroachments for the restoration of the mass transit project.

The chief justice said: “We should summon the prime minister and the Sindh chief minister and ask them about KCR progress. If KCR is not operational within six months, the prime minister would be given a contempt notice too. Government departments including the police are involved in leasing the land illegally. There is a reason that land worth Rs 0.5 million is sold for Rs 25 000 and land worth Rs 10 million is sold for Rs 2 million. Land should be taken back from whoever has taken it illegally.” The court ordered the Sindh government to assist the Railways Department in restoring the circular railways.

Meanwhile, Talibuddin told the court the restoration of 24 gates of KCR is a difficult task over which the CJP expressed resentment and asked why the work has not been started until now. “You people do not want to improve the system as you just come up with long written stories,” he said.