Creation of Keamari district is in public interest, high court told

The creation of the new district of Keamari from the West district was made in order to ensure administrative control and better service delivery in the best interest of the public as well as for the establishment of the writ of the government in an effective manner, a senior member of the provincial board of revenue told the Sindh High Court on Saturday.

Filing comments on a petition of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf MNA Amir Liqauat Hussain against the establishment of the newly Keamari district in Karachi, the official submitted that the government felt it imperative to vary the limits of District West for the creation of the Keamari district.

He said that reports from the Karachi commissioner and the deputy commissioner of District West had been obtained, and after observing all codal formalities approval of the cabinet and the CM, Keamari was notified as a new district.

The board of revenue’s senior member told the court that the public would be facilitated after the creation of the new district, and the district administration would be available to resolve their issues smoothly at their doorsteps.

He submitted that the people of the district would be benefited with new job opportunities and better service delivery, and the government could smoothly carry out the administrative control and maintain the government writ in the public interest.

He said the petitioner was not an aggrieved person as he did not belong to the new district, and the petition was filed with ill-political motives and a malafide intention. He said that due to the creation of a new district, no boundaries of the existing sub-division had been disturbed and the interests of common citizen had been rather safeguarded to redress their grievances conveniently.

The court, after taking these comments on record, adjourned the hearing for arguments on the petitioner’s counsel.

Amir Liaquat Hussain, an MNA of the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, submitted in the petition that the Sindh government under Section 6 of the Sindh Land Revenue Act 1967 had varied the District West by creating the district of Keamari.

He submitted that the new district had been created in violation of the law and a proper procedure had not been adopted by the Sindh government. He added that the newly created district was established on ethnic lines and several important aspects with regard to the creation of new districts were disregarded by the provincial government.

The court was requested to declare the establishment of new district illegal and call all relevant record and proceedings in respect of approval and formation of the Keamari district.

He also requested the court to take legal action to save the Karachi division localities and peaceful public life in the city.