The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday ordered that the Askari Amusement Park must be handed over to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) within two weeks.
While hearing a matter relating to the Askari Park at the top court’s Karachi Registry today, a two-member SC bench comprising of Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Qazi Mohammad Amin gave the judgment.
The apex court directed the KMC administrator to take control of the Askari Park and open it for people. There should be no entry fee at the park, ruled the court.
The chief justice directed the KMC to return the existing swings to the current management and install new ones. The court also directed razing all the shops on the park’s land.
Counsel of Corps V of the Pakistan Army and Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab appeared before the court in the case.
At the outset of today’s hearing, Murtaza Wahab told the court that Askari Park was given to the army under an agreement in 2005.
“The agreement was for 99 years,” added the defense counsel.
Justice Qazi Mohammad Amin told the defense counsel, “The Park had been handed over to you [army] so that no one else could occupy it.”
“We are ordering you to return the land to its owner,” said the judge.
