Anti encroachment drive deferred on Firdaus Shamim's intervention

KARACHI: A scheduled anti-encroachment drive near Karachi’s NIPA flyover was deferred Thursday on intervention of Firdous Shamim Naqvi, the leader of opposition in Sindh Assembly, ARY News reported.

Pakistan Railway officials had to clear the railway track by digging the land as the track was buried at three to five feet in depth from the surface.

The anti-encroachment staff had to also clear the area from encroachments under the court orders by demolishing houses built over the track.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Firdous Shamim Naqvi intervened and stopped railways officials from clearing encroachments on the railway land.

The residents should be provided an alternate place first before demolition of their houses, Naqvi told the officials.

The PTI leader had also intervened in earlier anti-encroachment operations and has been summoned by the court to face contempt of court proceeding on March 6.

A petition was filed against the politician seeking his earliest removal from office and disqualification.

The petition argues that the MPA created obstacles in the way of supreme court ordered anti-encroachment operations at Gulshan-e-Iqbal in Karachi.

Sindh education minister Saeed Ghani also facing contempt charges over the same issue.