KARACHI: The Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (ABAD) has decided to file a petition to identify the real culprits behind the Nasla Tower saga so that action is directed against them, while postponing its protest rally after assurances from the Sindh government of regularization buildings.
Addressing media at the ABAD House, Chairman ABAD Mohsin Sheikhani said that ABAD has postponed its protest rally, from ABAD House to CM House, for two days on the assurances of Sindh government for accepting ABAD’s Charter of Demand including regularization of buildings on the pattern of Punjab. He said that they could not meet the Chief Minister Sindh but a meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 1, 2021 in which other demands will also be discussed. He said that administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab has informed them that the Sindh government had sent an ordinance for regularization of buildings to the Sindh governor for approval. He said there cannot be any demolition of any approved project without compensation. “This has to be a general policy, not for only once case,” he stressed.
Rejecting the perception that ABAD is protesting against the federal or Sindh government, Mohsin Sheikhani said that ABAD is not a political party “but we have the right to raise the voice peacefully, when we are forced to stop our businesses.” He said that they were not demanding any undue favor but only wanted to save the construction industry in the city.
The Chairman ABAD said that they were regularly getting approvals from over a dozen departments before embarking on construction of buildings or development of land and paying millions of rupees as tax, but it was ironic that the builders and developers of Karachi were being targeted for no reason.
This is the reason why disgruntled builders and developers of Karachi were forced to suspend work on more than 300 buildings freezing an investment of Rs900 billion with a looming threat of rendering hundreds of workers jobless.
Sheikhani said that they have also demanded from the government to establish a powerful authority for approval of building plans which cannot be challenged and to hold the authority responsible in case of any irregularity sparing the builders or developers. He deplored that the actions against Nasla Tower and other buildings have shaken the confidence of local and overseas Pakistanis due to which the national economy had to suffer.
