ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has declared that Bahria Town must make a fresh payment, amounting to Rs460 billion, for the land it occupies in Karachi’s Malir district. The court ruled that Bahria Town defaulted on installments intended for the purchase of the 16,896-acre land.
The development comes after a three-member bench, including Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, Justice Aminuddin Khan, and Justice Athar Minallah, determined that Rs65 billion, including funds remitted from the UK and deposited locally, be transferred to the Central and Sindh governments. Out of this, approximately Rs35 billion is allocated to the federal government, and Rs30 billion to the Sindh government.
The court order emphasized that the consent order specified conditions for default, noting that Bahria Town had indeed defaulted, making the entire balance amount due and payable. The judgment revealed that amounts remitted from abroad, including £190 million, were not permitted under the consent order, and only Mashreq Bank of the UAE responded to court notices.
Expressing concern, the court stated that funds were remitted without its permission, suggesting potential involvement in criminal activities detected by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The court directed that the funds received from abroad, along with the earned markup, be remitted to the Government of Pakistan, while the remaining amount in the Supreme Court’s account should be paid to the Government of Sindh. The National Bank of Pakistan was instructed to close the account and provide a certified bank statement, along with a separate certificate confirming payments to the federal and provincial governments.
The court also exposed Bahria Town’s possession of excess land, imposing a fine of Rs2 million on the housing scheme, to be paid to the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) and the Sindh government. The court criticized Bahria Town for filing frivolous applications and a civil review petition, imposing costs, and requiring reimbursement to the SIUT and the Government of Sindh for expenses related to a survey conducted by the Survey of Pakistan.
