KARACHI - Hundreds of private builders and residents of Nasla Tower took to streets and staged a protest demonstration as authorities stepped up operation to demolish the multi-storey Nasla Tower.
The protests clashed with police on the Shahrah-e-Faisal shortly after Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed ordered the local administration to demolish Nasla Tower within a week. The protesters gathered in the afternoon near the Nasla tower and attempted to stop the demolition work. The protest triggered the worst traffic jumbles on city’s main artery. Contingents of police and Rangers were also deployed to the site of the protest to disperse the demonstrators. The police baton-charged the crowd and used tear gas shells in an attempt to keep the protesters at bay.
Police said they were left with no other choice except to tear gas the mob as they continued to advance towards the tower. The protesters, however, insisted that they were gathered for peaceful demonstration and even then were subjected to the use of force.
Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD) Chairman Mohsin Shaikhani Thursday gave the protest call. Reportedly, Shaikhani was injured during the clash. The association says that the work on any of its construction sites will remain suspended. The builders claim that they were in possession of no-objection certificates and despite that, the demolition work on Nasla Tower was ordered.
ABAD member Owais Thanvi said they were protesting peacefully against the building’s demolition. He said the police baton-charged the peaceful protesters. He said the NOC had been obtained from Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA). “Tell us the name of the institution where we can obtain a (permissible) NOC then,” he said. “If there was a problem, why did SBCA grant us an NOC then?” he asked.
Thanvi said that people had invested billions into the project and now they are being “forced out of their homes”.
The ABAD member said that the association wants Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah and other government members to speak to them. He said he can attest to the ABAD chairman and other members of the association being baton-charged and to teargas shells being fired at them.
Thanvi said that if there is a regularisation law, then it must be implemented, as is done in Islamabad. “If Islamabad’s buildings can be regularised, why not Karachi’s?”
Meanwhile, demolition work by labourers on the 15-storey building, which consists of four parking and 11 residential levels, continued.
District administration, anti-encroachment staff, Rangers and police personnel are currently present on the spot to continue monitoring the situation and to maintain law and order. The police have established a “red line”, a point that is within 200 metres of the tower, beyond which they are not allowing anyone to advance.
In a statement, Karachi police spokesperson Shazia Jehan said that protesters attempted to block Sharea Faisal and officials were trying to stop them. She said that police officials tried to speak to protesters as they moved forward on the main artery in an attempt to get them to disperse.
“ Officials resorted to baton-charge after protesters blocked the road and interfered with the work of public servants,” she said. The police spokesperson said that no one was injured as officials cleared the road of protesters, adding that it was later opened for traffic.
She said that protesters were provided a separate place to stage their demonstration and were told to remain clear of Nasla Tower. The spokesperson said that officials and the city administration were talking to the protesters, adding that work on demolishing the building was underway.
