Mohatta Palace: Heirs offered to be paid for heritage building at market value

KARACHI: The Sindh government has offered the heirs of Mohatta Palace to be paid for the heritage building at market value, ARY News reported on Thursday.

In major progress on Qasr-e-Fatima also known as the Mohatta Palace case in the Sindh High Court (SHC), the provincial government offered the heirs to be paid for the heritage property of late Fatima Jinnah at market value.

Advocate General told the court that the provincial government had earlier disbursed payment to the legal heirs to take the possession of late Fatima Jinnah’s property in Clifton.

During the hearing, the advocate general said that the provincial government was still ready to disburse the payments in case of any objections.

The heirs’ counsel argued that the Sindh government has never cleared the full payment. The lawyer added that Jinnah descendants are the real owners of Mohatta Palace and they have full rights to make a decision regarding their property.

READ: SHC ISSUES STAY ORDER IN MOHATTA PALACE CASE

The lawyer said that no one could claim a right to possess a property until the completion of a deal. The lawyer apprised the high court that antiquities of the founders of Pakistan are being used by forming a trust in this case.

Later, the SHC adjourned the hearing of the Mohatta Palace case till January 17 due to the shortage of time.

In the previous hearing, the high court had restrained the official assignee from taking control of the possession of Qasr-e-Fatima, popularly known as Mohatta Palace.

The official assignee was to take possession of Fatima Jinnah’s property in Clifton on Nov 8 (today) and had written a letter to the Sindh government in this regard.

A two-judge bench of the SHC had given the restraining order on a plea submitted by the Sindh government.

READ: SHC ACCEPTS PLEA FOR EARLY HEARING OF MOHATTA PALACE CASE

A single-judge bench comprising Justice Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan had ordered on October 13 that the Qasr-e-Fatima heritage building be turned into a medical and dental college for girls besides having a hostel.

The order had been given after both the plaintiffs and defendants agreed to amicably settle the long-standing dispute over the heritage building.

Later, the Sindh government decided to challenge the SHC’s single bench order and the additional advocate general apprised the high court regarding the government’s decision.

The additional advocate general had argued that a heritage building could not be used for setting up a college and the single bench’s order was illegal. He added that the government will satisfy a two-member bench of the high court regarding the matter.