Hill Park row erupts as MQM-P accuses authorities of land grabbing; mayor denies claim

An entirely new political row broke out regarding the future of Karachi’s public land on Sunday when MQM-P alleged that the city administration was allowing encroachments of its public land at Hill Park, but the Mayor of Karachi, Murtaza Wahab, vehemently rejected those accusations, saying no land owned by Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) had been allotted to anyone.

Addressing an emergency press conference held in Hill Park, along with MQM-P leaders Syed Aminul Haque, former mayor of Karachi Waseem Akhtar, and Sindh opposition leader Ali Khurshidi, MQM-P leader and Member of National Assembly Dr. Farooq Sattar claimed that public land was being distributed among grabbers with the assistance of the provincial government.

Dr. Sattar said that part of Hill Park had undergone some changes due to illegal excavations, and that area was not part of the PECHS plan. He said that NOCs had been issued illegally, and called for an inquiry from accountability departments, as well as a suo moto hearing from the Sindh High Court.

"The hill, if sold now, can lead to the sale of the whole park tomorrow," he said, demanding action against the concerned officials who were alleged to have been involved in the case.

The MQM-P leader also condemned what he referred to as the comeback of the encroachments of public lands in the city, especially the lands surrounding Nehr-e-Khayyam, Beach View and Benazir Bhutto Park. He claimed that his party had already undertaken legal measures in removing unlawful constructions from such lands like Bagh Ibn-e-Qasim, Kidney Hill Park and Empress Market.

Ex-Mayor Waseem Akhtar called for the intervention of the state agencies, claiming that the city's public lands had become vulnerable to exploitation once again due to the influence of some powerful people.