Nasla Tower case: Karachi court orders police remand of former office bearer of SMCHS

KARACHI: A judicial magistrate of Karachi East on Tuesday ordered police custody of a former office bearer of the Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society (SMCHS) to investigate his alleged involvement in the encroachment of a portion service lane of Shahrah-e-Quadeen, where the Nasla Tower was illegally built.

The 15-storey commercial-cum-residential building along the Shara-e-Faisal is being demolished on the directives of the Supreme Court of Pakistan for having been built in violation of the laws.

The apex court its last hearing at Karachi registry had ordered registration of case under Pakistan Penal Code and provincial anti-corruption law against all those involved in granting permission of construction of Nasla Tower by encroaching a portion of the service road

A case had been registered earlier against the building’s land owner Abdul Qadir, the project’s builders, Sindh Building Control Authority’s chairman and secretary, Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society officials, Master Plan Department’s director and deputy director and their subordinates.

On Tuesday, the investigating officer (IO) produced a suspect, Naveed Bashir, before the judicial magistrate to seek his physical remand.

The IO stated in the progress report that the suspect during initial interrogation had disclosed that he was serving as an honorary secretary in the cabinet of the cooperative housing society, when it had allowed illegal occupation of the land, where the skyscraper was later constructed.

He further mentioned that a portion of the service road was gotten illegally encroached upon by the cooperative housing society’s office-bearers in connivance with the officials of the relevant provincial and civic departments.

For further interrogation from the accused, the magistrate was prayed to grant his 14-day physical remand. However, the magistrate remanded the suspect in police custody till January 21, directing the IO to produce him on the next date along with an investigation report.