KARACHI: Pakistan’s top judge on Friday directed the country’s defense secretary to submit a policy statement signed by the chiefs of army, navy and air force regarding the commercial use of military lands in Karachi.
A three-member Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, was hearing different cases related to illegal encroachments on government lands in the country’s southern seaside metropolis when the defense secretary, Lt. Gen. (r) Mian Hilal Hussain, informed the court that the military had decided not to allow any commercial activities on its lands.
However, the court asked what was going to happen to all the commercial activities that had already taken place.
“How are you going to fix it,” asked the chief justice while demanding a signed policy report by the three services chiefs regarding how the commercial activities would be brought to an end.
“This land was provided to you for strategic and defense purposes,” he continued. “You are using it to launch commercial ventures and have built wedding halls, cinemas and housing societies.”
The defense secretary, who was ordered by the chief justice to appear and answer questions related to the case a day earlier, demanded some time from the court to present the required document.
The bench also heard a different encroachment case related to Nasla Tower in Karachi and instructed Commissioner Iqbal Memon to ensure that the residential building was razed to the ground within a week.
The court also reprimanded the Karachi chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami party Naeem Ur Rehman for demanding compensation for the effected families and individuals.
Meanwhile, police fired teargas shells to disperse protesters, including political activists, local builders and other citizens, who had gathered outside Nasla Tower at the Shahrah-e-Faisal road.
The protest was called by the chairman of the Association of Builders and Developers, Mohsin Shaikhani, who got injured during the shelling while the police were trying to stop people who wanted to resist the demolition work.
Pakistan’s top court grills defense secretary over commercial use of military lands
https://arab.news/j9wmq
Pakistan’s top court grills defense secretary over commercial use of military lands
- The country’s chief justice says the military got its lands for defense and strategic purposes, not to launch commercial ventures
- The court also instructed the Karachi commissioner to demolish Nasla Tower within a week
Pakistan launches second indigenous EO-2 satellite from China, SUPARCO says
- Earth observation satellite launched from Yangjiang Seashore Launch Center in China
- EO-2 to enhance disaster response, governance, resource management capabilities
KARACHI: Pakistan has successfully launched its second indigenous Earth Observation satellite, EO-2, from China’s Yangjiang Seashore Launch Center, the national space agency SUPARCO said on Thursday.
The launch marks a significant step in Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen its domestic space and remote sensing capabilities, with the satellite expected to improve imaging continuity, disaster monitoring, agricultural planning and strategic resource management.
In a statement, Pakistan’s SUPARCO said the EO-2 satellite would enhance the country’s earth observation and imaging capabilities and support governance and planning functions across multiple sectors.
“Pakistan’s second indigenous EO-2 satellite has been successfully launched,” SUPARCO said, adding that the mission represents a “milestone” in the expansion of the country’s satellite fleet.
According to the agency, EO-2 will provide critical data for planning and resource management while improving the continuity and accuracy of national earth observation systems.
The satellite is expected to support disaster management, urban planning, environmental monitoring and infrastructure development by supplying updated geospatial imagery and data.
SUPARCO said the launch demonstrates growing indigenous capability in satellite development and reflects Pakistan’s broader objective of strengthening its national space program through locally developed platforms.
Pakistan has gradually expanded its space cooperation with China in recent years, including satellite launches and joint missions, as Islamabad seeks to build technical capacity and reduce reliance on external data sources.
The EO-2 satellite is expected to play a key role in improving data availability for federal and provincial authorities, particularly in areas vulnerable to floods, climate stress and rapid urbanization.
