Affectees of suo motto deserve a lawful right of appeal. Mustafa Azizabadi
"Per the decision of the Lahore High Court, cases of treason against undisputed founder and leader of the MQM Mr Altaf Hussain and activists should be dropped"
LONDON:30 March 2023 :
The convener of Muttahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) Mustafa Azizabadi has demanded that the victims of the suo motto taken by the Chief Justices of Pakistan in recent past have to be given the right to appeal. The victims of Nasla Tower and all the settlements that were bulldosed on orders of the then Chief Justice should be given the right to appeal and that every family should be compensated proportionately with a minimum of Rs.10 million each.
He said this while addressing a live briefing along with the members of the coordination committee of MQM. Qasim Ali Raza, Shahid Mustafa, Rukn Ud Din and Atif Shamim also spoke.
He said that when suo motto was taken by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the victim was deprived of his right to appeal against the judgement. However, the recent judicial reforms bill passed by the incumbent federal government has removed such obstacles and thus the victims could file an appeal.With the passage of the Judicial reforms bill, the ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif who was sacked on corruption and other lawful charges and others have got the right to appeal against their sentences. It is very much likely that they all will get relief and cleaned.
The MQM convener said that many residential settlements were buldosed in Karachi under Pharaonic Suo motto of ex-Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmad. Thus, the Empress Market, Railways Colony, Musa Colony, Gharibabad, Gujar nalla, Mujahid Colony and many settlements were buldosed.
Sadly, no replacement was provided for any of them, nor was any redress made in form of pecuniary compensation and thus a large number of families were rendered homeless, deplored the convener. The Pakistani citizens abroad had hugely invested in property in Pakistan but they suffered irreparable and colossal loss of their money, lost their peace of mind and a few had also died of shock.
The convener continued to speak that in October 2021, the then Chief Justice, Gulzar Ahmad, taking the pharaonic suo motto, declared the 15-storeyed Nasla residential tower in Karachi illegal and ordered its demolition, and the 15-storeyed residential tower was demolished.
It is pertinent to say that the fateful Nasla Tower was the result of investment from the Pakistani citizens abroad who lost their money and the suo motto rendered them penniless. However, a similar residential tower in Islamabad was regularised despite being illegal because it had luxury flats of civil and military elites.
He advised the victims of Nasla Tower and affectees of other settlements to file an appeal in the Supreme Court for the redressal of their colossal wounds.
The members of the coordination committee Qasim Ali Raza, Shahid Mustafa, Ruknuddin and Atif Shamim said that the right to appeal under this judicial reform bill should not be limited to the selective political elites but justice should be dispensed to all and Muhajirs that have been the worst crushed under state-run oppression must be provided with speedy justice.
They also hailed the Lahore High Court on declaring the provisions of treason against the constitution in a case and said that the cases of treason instituted against the founder and leader of MQM Mr Altaf Hussain and the workers of MQM should also be terminated.
They announced that the undisputed founder and leader of the MQM, Mr Altaf Hussain will hold an important press conference within a week about the property case and will make important revelations.