Karachi:
It is exactly five years since a seven-story building built on a 74-square-foot plot in the Gulbahar neighborhood of Karachi collapsed. As a result, 27 people, including eight women and three children, lost their lives in the unfortunate incident. A case of illegal construction went to court and the owner of the building and his four family members were convicted of killing – intended for a deterrent to the illegal activity. After a short break, however, the forbidden activity resumed sporadically.
Liaquatabad, a neighborhood of Karachi’s District Central, is home to several unauthorized buildings that defy security standards. These structures, as high as six floors, are built on small grounds, typically about 90 square meters.
The area is dotted with such buildings in different construction stages, each consisting of a dozen parts to accommodate more families. This has put a strain on the already fragile citizen infrastructure. Specific examples of such high -rise buildings can be found on plot 328, 333, 372, 389 and 400 in block 10 of Liaquatabad.
It is alarming that dangerous construction can continue uncontrolled, apparently with the participation of local police and Sindh Building Control Authority officials, despite the resident’s protests and court orders to strike down on the developer Mafia.
SBCA’s annual performance report for 2024, issued in January one, 2025, reports that over 1,500 illegal constructions were torn or brought to lawsuits across Sindh, including Karachi’s seven districts. This raises questions about whether the SBCA staff did not notice the illegal structures in Liaquatabad, which has been under construction for six months to one year.
The acquittal of eight SBCA officials in the notorious Gulbahar building case may have had a troubled consequence. The prosecutor’s lack of evidence against them may have characterized those involved in the corrupt Nexus by builders, officials and law enforcement.
Perhaps the benefit of the doubts given to eight SBCA officials in the notorious Gulbahar building case -as the prosecution could not prove charges against them. It seems that authorities are just waiting for another Gulbahar-like tragedy to incite them for action.
