Plot's existence questioned in Hill Park controversy

KARACHI: The controversy over alleged construction on land reportedly carved out of Hill Park has intensified after Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab disclosed that the disputed plot does not appear in the original layout plan of the Pakistan Employees Cooperative Housing Society (PECHS).

Meanwhile, Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) officials have alleged that a forged No Objection Certificate (NOC) was used in an effort to legitimise the development.

The revelations surfaced during an ongoing KMC investigation into construction activity on land adjoining Hill Park, one of Karachi’s major public recreational areas. According to officials, the inquiry has raised concerns about the authenticity of ownership documents, the legal status of the plot, and possible attempts to mislead government authorities.

Mayor Wahab said the individuals behind the construction submitted lease and ownership documents purportedly issued by PECHS. However, scrutiny of official records found that the plot in PECHS Block 6 cited in those documents is absent from the society’s original approved layout plan.

“The records examined so far do not confirm the existence of the disputed plot in the original layout,” the mayor stated, reiterating that KMC has never allotted any portion of Hill Park to any individual or organisation.

He further noted that a 1974 government notification designated Hill Park as a 56-acre public space under KMC’s jurisdiction. Wahab warned that legal action would be initiated if investigations determine that the PECHS layout was unlawfully altered or that encroachments have been made on Hill Park land.

Surveys and inquiries are continuing to establish the full facts of the case, including the verification of documents that investigators suspect may have been fabricated.