Unhelpful help

Politics of corpses is a common practice in Pakistan’s political culture. This time the corpse is not of a human being, but that of a building. The ‘Nasla Tower’ was declared illegal and is now being demolished before the eyes of its residents. One cannot recall any protest arranged by any leading political party during the hearing of the case. Even after the announcement of the demolition, only the wails of the affected could be heard.

The leader of the opposition in the Sindh Assembly had promised the affected residents to help them. Other parties too came out to sympathise, but they were quick to disappear, leaving the affected residents to bear the grief of losing their homes and their hard-earned money.

Malik ul Quddoos

Karachi

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In Karachi, the problem of land encroachment is not new. The Nasla Tower, built partially on the land allocated for a service road, has been ordered to be demolished by the Supreme Court.

However, those who invested their lifelong savings to buy the apartments still await justice. The Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD), which chose to remain silent when the irregularities were being committed, is now shedding crocodile tears. If anything, it should force the builder to compensate the affected. Such irregularities have become a norm in the country.

Malik Tariq Ali

Lahore