Builders’ Body Welcomes Court Ruling
The Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan has announced plans to purchase the plot where Karachi’s demolished Nasla Tower once stood and reconstruct the project.
ABAD Chairman Hassan Bakhshi made the announcement while speaking on a private television programme. He welcomed the Federal Constitutional Court’s ruling that set aside earlier Supreme Court orders linked to the demolition of the high-rise.
The court ruled that action against illegal constructions does not fall under the judiciary’s jurisdiction. Bakhshi called the decision a positive development and said it corrected a long-standing issue connected to the case.
Demand for Compensation to Affected Families
Bakhshi said the affected residents of Nasla Tower had suffered severe financial and mental distress for several years. He said the court’s review of the matter was welcome, but the delay in justice had already caused major losses to families who lost their homes.
He stressed that the victims have still not received compensation. According to him, authorities must now take practical steps to correct the damage and ensure that the affected families are paid without further delay.
The ABAD chairman proposed that the plot should be sold and the money generated from the sale should be used to compensate the residents. He said this would be a fair way to address the losses faced by people who were displaced after the building was demolished.
ABAD Offers to Rebuild Nasla Tower
Bakhshi said ABAD intends to buy the Nasla Tower plot and rebuild the project. He added that reconstruction could help restore confidence in Karachi’s construction sector and provide a solution for the affected families.
He also claimed that attempts had been made in the past to convince the then chief justice before the demolition order was issued. According to him, representations were also made to different state institutions and the Prime Minister’s Office, but those efforts failed.
The ABAD chief said the original developer of Nasla Tower had passed away. He described the developer as a person from a modest economic background and said the case had caused pain for multiple parties.
The Nasla Tower case remains one of Karachi’s most controversial urban development issues. The latest proposal by ABAD has brought the matter back into public discussion, especially over compensation, property rights and the future of construction regulation in the city.
