KARACHI: Lawyers in Karachi rallied on Wednesday against the Federal Constitutional Court’s decision to hear a case on mining in the Karoonjhar Hills, a region near the Indian border known for its ancient temples and granitic formations, saying the new court should not intervene in heritage-related disputes.

The Karoonjhar Hills, located in Sindh’s Tharparkar district, are revered for their ecological, cultural and religious significance, containing centuries-old Hindu sites and distinct geological formations. The area has been at the center of a political and legal battle since the Sindh government issued mining allotments there, triggering opposition from activists who warn that excavation threatens both fragile desert ecosystems and heritage landmarks.

Following civil society’s protests and a high court ruling, the Sindh government last year formally declared 21,000 acres of Karoonjhar a protected heritage zone under provincial law. But a prior Sindh High Court ruling had issued a broader, less specific designation, prompting provincial officials to argue the court had exceeded its authority. To settle the jurisdictional issues, two appeals were filed in the Supreme Court. Fresh controversy erupted this week when the second petition was abruptly fixed for hearing before the newly created Federal Constitutional Court, even though the lawyer had already withdrawn his authority. The court was formed this year under Pakistan’s 27th Constitutional Amendment to handle constitutional interpretation, a restructuring critics say has blurred judicial lines and created concerns over institutional legitimacy.

Wednesday’s protests in Karachi were a direct response to the case’s sudden listing before the new court. Lawyers marched from the Sindh High Court toward the Chief Minister’s House, where they were stopped by police barricades and heavy deployment.

One of the protest leaders, Muhammad Haseeb Jamali, a former General Secretary of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, said the original mining allotment in Karoonjhar had been carried out in a “completely non-transparent manner,” and noted that the High Court had initially blocked the move.

“After that, the government filed an appeal [in the Supreme Court],” he told Arab News. “The appeal had been pending for the last two and a half to three years. But as soon as the Federal Constitutional Court was formed, the case was suddenly fixed,” he added, questioning the intentions of both the government and the new court.

Karachi Bar Association President Amir Nawaz Warraich said lawyers across Sindh were observing a strike, arguing the Karoonjhar land had been allotted “in an unconstitutional and illegal manner.”

“We already do not trust the Federal Constitutional Court. We do not even recognize it... In such a situation, if such a serious matter goes before them, we cannot expect any justice,” he said.

The Sindh government, however, rejected claims of foul play and insisted the Karoonjhar area had already been safeguarded. Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said the hills were fully protected under law and that political motives were driving the protests.

“Karoonjhar is our treasure; we will not allow any damage to it,” Shah told reporters, urging lawyers to pursue dialogue and legal remedies instead of confrontation. He also defended the constitutional court, saying it was composed of senior judges and asserting there would be “no secret amendments.”

Advocate General Sindh Jawad Dero said the government’s principal appeal in the Supreme Court had already been withdrawn after the heritage committee formally demarcated the 21,000-acre zone.

“The appeal the government itself had filed through the AG Office in the Supreme Court, we had already withdrawn it a few months ago,” Dero told Arab News, adding that the remaining petition, filed by the caretaker government through a private lawyer, would be handled procedurally.

“The appeal against it was filed during the caretaker government, not during this government’s tenure. When the file comes back to us, we will review it, and certainly the government will make whatever decision is in the public interest,” he said, adding the provincial administration believed the matter had “already been resolved.”

Dero emphasized that heritage and mining boundaries must be determined by technical agencies rather than courts. The earlier High Court order, he argued, was “legally unsustainable” because it declared an unspecified area heritage land. 

The province had now “clearly identified the 21,000 acres that comprise Karoonjhar,” he said.

Dero added that any land outside the declared zone would be subject to cultural, environmental and religious assessments: 

“If any site is found that has cultural or heritage value, or religious sensitivity, or anything connected to local dynamics, then the respective departments and committees will make their decisions accordingly.”