SHC restrains education dept, KMC from interfering in Sarfaraz Ahmed academy’s affairs

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday restrained the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Karachi Development Authority and Sindh education department from causing any interference or hindrance in the use and possession of a cricket ground and academy in North Nazimabad named after renowned cricketer and former skipper of Pakistani team Sarfaraz Ahmed.

The interim order came on a petition filed by Ahmed and his cricket academy against interference by the administration of a girls college located adjacent to the ground. A counsel for the petitioner submitted that then Karachi mayor had named the cricket ground situated on the plot ST-7 North Nazimabad after the former cricket team captain following the country’s historic win over its arch-rival India in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 final. He added that the mayor granted permission for providing sports facilities to the general public in the ground. It was said that the mayor had also told the academy to maintain the ground at their own expense and stipulated that no other activity except sports would be held there.

The petitioners submitted that the administration of Government Girls Degree College, which was inaugurated in 2020 and situated within a close proximity to the playground, was bent upon creating interference in the smooth operations of the cricket academy on completely false notions and pretexts.

They alleged that the college administration after the demolition of the grills surrounding the playground started parking their vehicles inside the cricket ground, damaging it. They added that the college administration, especially its principal, was pursuing her personal agenda against the petitioners and attempting to damage the cricket ground.

They said that the actions of the KMC, KDA and college administration to unlawfully threaten to seal the playground under the guise of frivolous and vexatious letters of the college administration suggested that the respondents had a pre-determined mala fide intention to cause difficulties in the operations of the academy.

They said that if the cricket academy was closed, it would result in a massive loss to the citizens of Karachi and the fundamental rights of the citizens, inducing access to sports and recreational activities, could not be curtailed on false pretexts.

The high court was requested to restrain the KMC, KDA and education department from creating any interferences in the smooth operations of the cricket academy and blocking the academy staff, coaches, staff, pupil and their parents’ access to the cricket academy.

A division bench of the high court headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi after the preliminary hearing of the petition issued notices to the KDA, KMC, government girls college administration and others, and called their comments. The court in the meantime restrained the official respondents from causing any hindrance and interference in the use and occupation of the subject playground till the next date of hearing. The SHC also restrained the respondents from blocking the entry of the petitioners and their staff to the ground till the next date of hearing.