Supreme Court Orders Investigation into Bahria Town Karachi Land Transfer Case, 365 Billion Rupees Still Due

Islamabad:A three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Ijaz Afzal, has delivered its ruling in the case concerning the illegal transfer of thousands of acres of land in Bahria Town Karachi. The court has directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to investigate Bahria Town and the concerned government officials, with the possibility of filing references against them.

Following the investigation into the irregularities in land purchases, the Supreme Court imposed a hefty fine of 460 billion rupees on Bahria Town Karachi, which was to be paid in installments. The question arose, however, as to which authority would receive the payment.

**Disputes Over Distribution of Funds:**

In light of the Supreme Court’s imposition of the fine, both the federal and provincial governments of Sindh engaged in efforts to claim the funds. The Sindh government, in particular, opposed the formation of a commission for the expenditure of the fine, asserting that the funds should be managed by the provincial administration as they belonged to the province.

On November 23, 2023, the Supreme Court ordered Bahria Town Karachi to comply with the decision from March 21, 2019, which mandated the payment of the 460 billion rupees. The payment was structured in installments; however, after some payments were made, the installments stopped. Meanwhile, the Sindh government continues to argue that the funds should rightfully be given to the province as it pertains to the people of Sindh.

**Amount Paid to Date:**

According to Advocate General of Sindh, Hassan Akbar, the goal of the provincial government is to recover the full amount to ensure it is spent on the people of Sindh. He stated that, based on his knowledge, under the Supreme Court’s 2023 order, the Sindh government has received 41 billion rupees, while 54 billion rupees have been allocated to the federal government.

This means that a total of 95 billion rupees have been paid from the 460 billion rupees fine imposed on Bahria Town Karachi. However, 365 billion rupees remain outstanding, and it is expected that the entire remaining amount will be allocated to the Sindh government for the welfare of its citizens.