Protest Against The Stealing Of Amenity Land By Politicians / politicians / bureaucracy / land mafia - "The Sindh Protection and Prohibition of Amenity Plots Bill 2009"
Sameer Dodhy
Imagine that you visit the grave of your mother and find that the graveyard now houses a new chicken tikka restaurant which has encroached on your mother's grave. You visit the mausoleum of Qauid e Azam and find that land of the mausoleum hosts a new shopping mall. You go to a park with your children and find that it been closed as a private contractor will be building a housing scheme on the land.
You wonder if this is a nightmare or some kind of sick and disgusting practical joke.
It is indeed a deadly practical joke that our beloved lawmakers will inflict on our hapless public if the
"The Sindh Protection and Prohibition of Amenity Plots Bill 2009" becomes law.
The deceptively named bill essentially states that the MPA's can change the use of amenity land and the bill is back dated to all actions from 1994.
What exactly is amenity land? It is land meant for parks, gardens, playgrounds, graveyards, roads, hospitals, schools, colleges, educational institutions, health institutions, reading rooms, libraries, community centres, treatment plants, places for religious worship.
This harmful and immoral bill means that any amenity land can be grabbed if the Sindh legislators state that it is for the "national interest". As the bill is retrospective from 1994 state land stolen by the land mafia will be provided legal cover. (such is the power of the land mafia in Pakistan)
The timing of the new bill is interesting as it will negate the order of the Supreme Court which has recently given the CDGK notice to bring all encroached /stolen amenity land to its original status.
You can read the whole text of the bill at:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/49633180/Bill-No-7-of-2009
Details of this proposed bill has also come in the news:
http://epaper.dawn.com/ArticleText.aspx?article=21_02_2011_113_002
Some friends living in other provinces may feel that this is a Karachi / Sindh problem only. About 20 years ago I had a relative from another province visit me who told me that the violence was a “Karachi based” phenomena. I told him that “Kalashnikov culture” was a cancer. If one part of the body is infected by cancer then eventually the whole body would get infected. Today is there any part of Pakistan where “Kalashnikov culture” and violence does not reign? If this bill becomes law in Sindh it will soon be replicated all over Pakistan – the politicians / bureaucracy along with land mafia are the same all over Pakistan.
Unless the citizens rise up and protest against this ploy to rob Sindh and especially Karachi of the amenity land the politicians / bureaucracy along with land mafia will make a lot of money while the ordinary man will suffer. To give an example – if the graveyard land is “converted” to commercial use – where will you bury your parents and where will your children bury you? Will the new fashion in Pakistan be to throw dead bodies of our loved ones in the garbage?
What can you as an ordinary citizen do?
Action 1
Tell your friends about this evil and mischievous law. Spread awareness.
Action 2
Write to all the newspapers on an individual and group basis and say that this harmful law will hurt the citizens and it must not be passed. Some of the major papers are:
DAWN
Express Tribune
The News
Daily Times
The Nation
Pakistan Today
Action 3
If you have any contact with the Sindh legislators or politicians you must tell them that you disapprove of this wicked bill. It is my experience that many legislators do not realize the detailed substance of the proposed laws but just vote along party lines / party discipline.
The citizens of Pakistan should take heed of Albert Einstein saying “The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.”
Best regards
Sameer Hamid Dodhy