KARACHI: In a monumental judicial and economic turning point, the Federal Constitutional Court has officially overturned the Supreme Court’s 2021 ruling that led to the high-profile demolition of Karachi’s Nasla Tower. This landmark reversal has been widely hailed as a “victory for justice” by the Sindh Government, the affected allottees, and the Association of Builders and Developers (ABAD). The original controversy had emerged during an anti-encroachment drive when state institutions claimed that the 15-story building’s plot had been illegally expanded into public land by 341 square yards. Consequently, in October 2021, a Supreme Court bench headed by then-Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed rejected all review petitions and ordered the immediate flattening of the structure.
The Human Impact and Industry Stagnation
The enforcement of the original apex court order between November 2021 and January 2022 resulted in the systematic demolition of the residential complex, abruptly stripping 45 families of their homes and lifetime savings. Throughout the ordeal, the displaced residents maintained that they had purchased their apartments only after verifying legitimate approvals from all relevant state authorities, arguing that ordinary citizens should not be penalized for systemic administrative anomalies. The demolition sent shockwaves through Karachi’s real estate market, causing multi-billion rupee investments to freeze, crippling builder confidence, and severely damaging public trust in government-issued construction permits. The subsequent demise of the project’s builder further complicated matters, freezing remaining assets and leaving the affected families without any viable means of compensation.
ABAD’s Reconstruction Blueprint and Government Endorsement
Following the Constitutional Court’s corrective verdict, ABAD Chairman Muhammad Hasan Bakshi announced a definitive plan to purchase the land and completely rebuild Nasla Tower. Criticizing the 2021 decision for bringing Karachi’s construction industry to a grinding halt, Bakshi called on the former Chief Justice to apologize to the victims, noting that such a gesture would only elevate his judicial stature. To expedite rehabilitation, ABAD has proposed the formation of a high-powered joint committee featuring federal and provincial representatives to liquidate the land, pool state finances, and ensure immediate relief for the original allottees. Echoing this sentiment, Sindh Labor Minister Saeed Ghani strongly endorsed the reversal, stating that the Constitutional Court rectified a grave historical error that had previously inflicted severe psychological and financial trauma on citizens while disrupting the national economy.
