KARACHI:
The controversy surrounding alleged illegal plotting in Hill Park has intensified after conflicting notifications and internal approvals surfaced, prompting disciplinary action within the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and triggering an official probe into the matter.
The dispute over land allegedly carved out by cutting into the Hill Park hillside has escalated following the emergence of a conditional No Objection Certificate (NOC) and a separate purported approval letter attributed to the KMC Directorate of Land.
KMC officials have suspended Deputy Director Land Nauman and ordered him to report to the Human Resource Management (HRM) department, while preparations are also underway to issue a formal charge sheet against him.
Meanwhile, Director Land Adnan Zehri has so far neither been suspended nor transferred, though officials say further departmental action remains under consideration.
The suspension order comes amid allegations linked to a conditional NOC issued on April 30, 2026, which reportedly stated that if the land in question falls outside KMC limits and within a housing society’s jurisdiction, the land department would have no objection to construction activity.
Mayor Karachi has also written to the federal Ministry of Housing and Works, seeking complete records of plot No G-4-39 in connection with the disputed land.
The situation became more complex after another document surfaced, allegedly bearing the signature of the director land and dated April 21, 2026 (letter No DL/KMC/232/2026). The document reportedly declares KMC’s disassociation from the land in question.
However, Director Land Adnan Zehri has rejected the authenticity of the April 21 letter, terming it “fake” and stating that the document had been forwarded to him by Director General Parks Arif Khokhar.
He said he had immediately informed the DG Parks that the NOC was fraudulent.
Attempts to contact DG Parks Arif Khokhar for his version remained unsuccessful as he did not respond to calls.
KMC sources said an internal inquiry is underway and that facts regarding the disputed land will soon come to light as part of the investigation.
