KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday directed counsel for Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to present his arguments on the maintainability of the petition, asking the court to direct the Sindh government to compensate the residents of Nasla Tower.

A two-member bench of SHC, headed by Justice Zafar Ahmad Rajput, at the very outset inquired from the petitioner’s counsel whether a high court could hear a petition against a matter being already heard by the Supreme Court.

Counsel for the petitioner submitted that review petitions of the builder and allottees of Nasla Tower against the order of the apex court for demolition of the building on Shahra-e-Faisal had already been dismissed. However, the counsel submitted that no order for payment of compensation to the allottees had been passed.

How could a case be heard in the Supreme Court and a high court at the same time? Justice Zafar inquired from the counsel.

The counsel, in reply, said that the apex had not heard the allottees on the payment of compensation.

The SHC bench directed the counsel to file certified copies of all the orders of the apex court regarding Nasla Tower, and advance his arguments on the maintainability of the petition in the next hearing.

A three-member SC bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, had on June 16, 2021, ordered the demolition of Nasla Tower as it was built on encroached additional land than originally allotted one.

Subsequently, the apex court dismissed review petitions of the builder, and the allottees in September and in October directed commissioner Karachi to demolish the building via a controlled blast.