KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday suspended an order of the district administration to seal a petrol pump constructed “illegally” on Karachi University’s (KU) land.

A two-judge constitutional bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon, also issued notices to the respondents as well as the provincial law officer for next hearing.

Citing the secretary land utilisation department, deputy commissioner East, assistant commissioner Gulshan-i-Iqbal and others as respondents, the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) petitioned the SHC and impugned the cancelation of a no-objection certificate (NOC) issued earlier for the establishment of the fuel station (Hafiz Petrol Pump) and the sealing of the premises.

The counsel for the petitioner, Asim Iqbal, argued that the land in question was owned by Farrukh Mateen by virtue of registered sale deed and the petrol pump has been established by the petitioner on such land after lawfully acquiring possessory and leasehold rights through a duly registered sub-lease deed dated March 25, 2025.

He also submitted that the sub-lease was executed between the petitioner and the lawful owner of the land in question for a fixed term of 20 years effective from the date of registration of the lease deed against payment of monthly rent of Rs600,000 for the first 10 years and Rs800,000 for the remaining period.

However, the lawyer further contended, the East DC received a letter from a section officer of universities & boards department on Jan 19, wherein it was alleged that Hafiz Petrol Pump, located at Khatam-i-Nabuat Chowk near Kaneez Fatima Society and Awami Petrol Pump on Main University Road, were illegally occupying the university land and directions were issued to immediately stop construction thereon.

He maintained that despite completing all codal formalities and obtaining an NOC from the DC as well as all other statutory approvals and incurring huge expenditure on constructing the petrol pump, the DC had abruptly and arbitrarily cancelled the NOC, merely on the basis of alleged complaint and a report submitted by the mukhtiarkar concerned through the assistant commissioner (AC).

After a preliminary hearing, the bench through an interim order suspended the impugned order/letter about cancellation of NOC till next hearing. It also put the respondents and advocate general Sindh on notice for a date to be fixed after three weeks.

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2026