Sindh Home Minister Suhail Anwar Siyal took the notice of the allegedly shutting down of Edhi Foundation Center in Thatta over a property dispute.
Home Minister has ordered the provincial home secretary to get a report from Sindh Inspector General (IG) A.D Khwaja on this matter as soon as possible. He has also asked for the explanation on why the center in Thatta has been sealed with the help of the local police.
Yesterday, Bilquis Edhi and Faisal Edhi had claimed in a press conference that many Edhi Centers in several cities of Sindh have been illegally occupied by “powerful local figures.”
Bilquis and Faisal had appealed federal and Sindh governments to get vacated the illegal occupation by local influential on Edhi Welfare Centers in various cities and towns of Sindh.
One Edhi Centre had been occupied by land mafia Sindh and Balochistan border town of Hub Balochistan government has also been appealed to come for the remedy. Addressing a press conference at Karachi Press Club on Wednesday, wife of the world known social worker late Abdul Sattar Edhi, Bilquis Edhi, and his son Faisal Edhi alleged that the land mafia enjoyed the patronage of certain political parties.
They informed the media that shops and other constructions for commercial activities were made by demolishing the Edhi Welfare Centers serving the humanity especially the poor for last three decades. In some cases, they mentioned, the Centers were locked by these anti-social rather anti-humanity elements, whose intention would be the same to convert these signs of human service into commercial centers.
They said the land for these centers was allotted by the National Highway Authority.
“NHA has awarded Edhi Foundation authority in writing to set up these centers at any point on 200 sq meters wide belts of land on both sides of the highways. These belts are the property of the highways authority,” they explained.
The last target was Edhi Welfare Centre in Thatta which was successfully functioning since 1985 on the roadside NHA land, they said.