Charity work can’t be done by grabbing land, CJP to Malik Riaz

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Tuesday told Bahria Town’s chief executive, who appeared before the court during a hearing in connection with Bahria Town Karachi, that charity works could not be undertaken by illegally occupying the land of the state and the people by bribing high-ups. The CJP made these remarks while heading a three-member Supreme Court bench hearing a review petition of the property tycoon, along with an another case pertaining to issuing notices to the people, who had already been allotted plots, commercial buildings or build-up units to make payments to a bank account maintained by the Bahria Town housing society, despite a ban on such activity by the apex court. The court directed Riaz to submit Rs20 billion with the court, so that this money could be returned to the nation. Riaz, however, requested the court to reduce the amount to Rs 5 billion. The chief justice then asked him to mortgage his property. “I have none of the house, except that in which I am living, and that too belonged to my wife,” Malik Riaz claimed. The court then reduced the amount to Rs 10 billion. Riaz again insisted the court to reduce the amount to Rs 5 billion. The court ordered Riaz to deposit Rs 5 billion on next hearing, along with his property documents and an undertaking that he will not sell any of his assets before the court issues a verdict. The court also ordered Bahria Town not to start any new project until the case stood disposed of. During the hearing, the chief justice noted that the court could not allow Riaz to continue with illegal ventures because of his religious projects. At the onset of hearing, Riaz stated that he had undertaken multiple charity projects like the world’s third largest mosque, an old-age home, schools, and zoo, etc. He said he had built Bahria Town Karachi so that Pakistan could grow from a third world country to a first world country. He said he had planned construction projects in the areas where people did not go due to poor security. The chief justice asked him whether it was charity to illegally occupying the land and bribing people. “I swear, I never bribed anyone,” Malik Riaz contended. Meanwhile, the court barred the Bahria Town housing society from collecting outstanding payments from its clients, saying that the administration of Bahria Town Karachi had violated court orders by opening up a separate bank account to collect outstanding payments. Aitzaz Ahsan, senior counsel for Riaz, contended that Bahria Town housing society did not issue notices to anyone for payment of outstanding dues. He said his client had converted a desert into a modern city. “We have no sympathy with a person who coverts a desert into a city illegally”, the chief justice remarked. He said that despite a ban by the apex court on high-rise buildings in Karachi, Bahria Town had been continuing construction of such buildings including a 20-storey building. Ahsan contended that such constructions were stopped after the ban by the apex court. The chief justice noted that the money taken by Bahria Town from the countrymen would have to be returned to them. He said Riaz had become owner of billions of rupees and he had started making shuffles in the national politics, being an important personality of make and break at the political arena. He said the issue of using the brand of ‘Bahria’ by Malik Riaz was still to be decided. He said there was a Robin Hood, a legendary, heroic and outlawed, who looted the money and distributed it among the people. During the hearing, Riaz requested the court to order the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to stay its investigation until the apex court delivered a verdict. He said due to the case in NAB, property prices had gone down due to which several people, who had invested in the project, were suffering. The chief justice, however, rejected his request and suggested him to must appear before the NAB. Meanwhile, the court adjourned the hearing until June 27. Earlier, the Supreme Court in its verdict had ordered the additional registrar of the Supreme Court’s Karachi registry to open a special account facilitating the deposit of the outstanding amount against allotments through pay orders, demand drafts or cross-cheques. The verdict had pointed out that a huge amount of money on account of allotment of plots, build-up units and commercial buildings was still outstanding against the allottees, some makeshift arrangement should be made to facilitate the recovery and secure it. The court had also barred Bahria Town Karachi from selling or allotting land after declaring that the land for the project was acquired illegally. Published in Daily Times, June 27th 2018.