KARACHI: The Supreme Court reversed its decision of asking Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to remove Murtaza Wahab as Karachi administrator after he (Wahab) tendered an “unconditional” apology in the apex court.
The court directed Wahab to keep this administrative post away from politics and advised him to fulfill his responsibilities while remaining above his political affiliation.
Earlier, a two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Qazi Mohammad Amin issued a directive for Wahab’s removal after an exchange with him while hearing numerous important matters pertaining to unauthorised and illegal construction, encroachments of amenity plots, conversion of residential properties into commercial ones and the issue of two private hospitals allegedly running their health facilities on amenity plots at the apex court’s Karachi registry.
A petition filed in 2014 seeking possession of Hindu Gymkhana, a matter about Nasla Tower’s demolition, applications about rehabilitation of affectees dislocated due to the anti-encroachment drive in Karachi and the cases regarding the Karachi Circular Railway were fixed for hearing.
Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan, Advocate General of Sindh Salman Talib Ud Din, Karachi Commissioner Iqbal Memon, Wahab and senior Director of the anti-encroachment department Bashir Siddiqui were present during today’s hearing.
During the hearing of a matter related to the Gutter Baghicha park, Justice Amin, while addressing Wahab remarked, “These are state lands [and] not your personal property. [You will] have to return them. If we don’t take them [back] then someone else will. You will return the lands,” Justice Amin thundered.
“Should we leave the government?” Wahab questioned, saying that “major observations are” made about the provincial government by the court.
“Silence yourself mister, what are you saying? Don’t do politics here,” the chief justice reprimanded the administrator.
“Get out from here. We will fire you right now. Are you an administrator or a political leader?” Justice Gulzar questioned. He remarked that an administrator was appointed to serve the people in an impartial manner and the position was not meant to be used for politics.
“The administrator, prima facie, failed to perform his duties. The administrator’s behaviour is that of political leaders [and] not of serving the citizens,” the chief justice remarked.
The court ordered Wahab’s immediate removal and directed the Sindh chief minister to appoint an “impartial and competent” person in his place.
In October this year, the Supreme Court had directed the Karachi administrator to remove encroachments on the premises of the Gutter Baghicha park and restore it to its original shape and to properly maintain it for public.
The apex court had further ordered him to ensure that all playgrounds for children must be restored after immediate removal of encroachments and steps be taken to ensure that such areas were not encroached upon again.
