KARACHI: – Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) on 03 Oct night, has sealed a dental clinic owned by former president of Pakistan Arif Alvi for it was set up in a residential area that is illegal. A commercial office, shop, clinic etc are not allowed in the residential areas.
Sources close to the development revealed that the dental clinic, located in Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society (SMCHS), was reportedly established in a residential bungalow, which led to the action.
The operation was carried out under the supervision of Assistant Director Shakeel Jamali. According to the SBCA, the clinic’s operation in a residential area violated building regulations, prompting the closure.
The SBCA spokesman confirmed the development calling it a “routine job” from the officials concerned. The SBCA sources said that a team led by one of the authority’s assistant directors visited the clinic in the evening and stopped the staff from further regular activities.
Later, they sealed the clinic and put a notice outside the facility which mentioned the violation of the defined rules. The PTI Karachi spokesperson, Fauzia Siddiqi, confirmed the action from the SBCA calling it a part of “vendetta” against the PTI from PM Shehbaz Sharif government and its ally in Sindh, the Pakistan Peoples Party.
Pakistan in the World – Aug / Sep 2024
“It’s so ridiculous that the SBCA noticed Dr Alvi’s clinic after years,” the party’s Karachi president Raja Azhar said in a statement.
“All public institutions and regulatory authorities in Sindh are operating like political wing of the PPP. Such tactics cannot harass or push back the PTI leaders and workers who stand firm with the ideology of its founder Imran Khan.”
Dr. Arif Alvi’s wife and son, Awaab Alvi, have moved the Sindh High Court (SHC) against the sealing of the clinic.The family of former president filed plea for de-sealing. The petition claims that the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) sealed the clinic as an act of political revenge.
Barrister Ali Tahir, the petitioners’ lawyer, stated that Dr. Arif Alvi is being harassed purely on political grounds. The petition further highlighted that the dental clinic has been operational for many years, and no prior notice was given before sealing, which is deemed an illegal action.
Here it is worth mentioning that both sides are correct in a sense that , commercial things are illegal in residential buildings , and the clinic has been sealed only after it was working their for last many years. Lets see how the SHC takes the matter. Law is after all Law. It can be implemented anytime.
Arif Alvi, when he was President of Pakistan should have himself closed it , at least on the day of his oath as the head of the state. If the head of the state does not obey the law, who else is expected to do so?
Pakistan in the World – Sep / Oct 2024
