Taking notice of reports which said some police officials had encroached upon the Sindh police’s lands, the city’s police chief, Karachi Additional IG Dr Amir Ahmed Shaikh, has directed the DIGs of the three ranges in the city to look into the matter.

Reacting to reports which claimed that some police officials were operating their businesses on police’s land, the Karachi additional IG issued a letter to respective heads of East, South and West ranges to investigate the alleged encroachments by policemen and take an immediate action.

The letter sent to the DIGs of Karachi police states that an application was filed by a Sindh police official and resident of Police Line Saddar, in which the official alleged that many police personnel had encroached upon the space for park and ground in the police area and built garages and shops in violation of directives issued by the Sindh IG.

The official further stated in the application that anti-encroachment operations were being carried out on the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to clear parks and playgrounds in the city of all sorts of encroachment; however, police personnel at the same time continued to encroach upon the park and playground in the family line due to which there was no space for the children of police personnel to play.

The Karachi additional IG directed the DIGs in the letter to remove all the encroachments, including garages and shops, from all the grounds and parks of family lines of police within three days and send a report to his office for onward submission to the IG.

After receiving the Karachi police chief’s directives, South Range DIG Jawed Alam Odho issued a letter to the SSP District South, SSP City District and SP Headquarter Garden Police Lines, seeking details of unauthorised encroachments made by policemen.

The South DIG’s letter stated that it had come to the knowledge of the DIG that some policemen had constructed illegal houses and shops that were being used for commercial purposes. DIG Odho sought a report in this regard within two days which must include the names of police officers and officials who had illegally constructed structures on police land and were using them for commercial purposes. The DIG also sought other details such as whether such illegal encroachments were rented out to unauthorised persons.

The DIG also ordered removal of all such encroachments. “Inspection of police stations [and] police lines will also be conducted by DIGP, South Zone Karachi shortly,” the letter read. Sources privy to the matter said a grand operation would be conducted in the coming days in the Sindh police lines where encroachments had been made.