SC recalls Murtaza Wahab’s removal order as administrator

KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Monday recalled its order of removal of Administrator Karachi Murtaza Wahab after his unconditional apology before the court, assuring it that he will ensure to serve the people of city without being influenced by politics or his affiliation with a political party.

Earlier, the SC’s two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Qazi Mohammad Amin Ahmed, during the hearing of Gutter Baghicha case, had taken a strong exception to the political statements of administrator Karachi and directed Chief Minister Sindh to remove him from the office and appoint a fit person who was capable to deliver the people as administrator of Karachi.

During the hearing of Gutter Baghicha case, the court observed that amenity land could not be allocated to KMC employees for housing. The court observed if all the amenity lands were allocated for housing societies, what would be left for parks and playgrounds.

NGO representative Amber Ali Bhai submitted that major portion of 1,016 acres of Gutter Baghicha was encroached for housing and industrial zones, which shows political gerrymandering to create constituency of a political party. At this, Administrator Murtaza Wahab submitted that the Sindh government was always criticized and were not allowed to work independently. He angrily told the court that if courts are not satisfied with government performance, then it would be better for them to quit the government.

The court took a strong exception to the political statements of the administrator Karachi and observed that administrator KMC, instead of assisting the court, always tried to make political statements.

Justice Qazi Mohammad Amin observed that state functionaries were not being allowed to work, warning that everything will be run down when the law will take its own course. The court observed that administrator Karachi has been time and again warned not to do so but he keeps on deviating from the work of administrator and going into the realm of politics and agitates his political party’s issues before the court.

The court observed that the administrator of KMC must be a person who works indiscriminately for the people and not on political basis. The court observed that it found that the administrator cannot work independently of his party and always comes up with political statements that prevent him from performing functions in a neutral manner as required by the office. The court observed that the administrator has showed anger in the court, which was totally unbecoming of an administrator and he was not fit to remain as the administrator of KMC. The court however later recalled the order with regard to removal of administrator after his unconditional apology before the court.

Regarding the Gutter Baghicha land, the court observed that around 200 acres of Gutter Baghicha was meant for park, which has been allotted to KMC officers housing society. The court observed that there was no example in the world that the land reserved for park could be allotted for a housing scheme. The court observed that city has population of 30 million people and according to which at least there should be 300,000 parks in the city.

The court was informed that the Gutter Baghicha land was allotted for treatment plant, incinerator plant, a pumping station and various graveyards. The administrator KMC submitted that he will ensure that there was an urban forest planted in 168 acres of Gutter Baghicha and he also gave a timeline that plantation will start in March 2022. The court also granted time to the KMC officers housing society representative to engage a counsel to plead their case.