This is the story of how Karachi’s 52 acres of an amenity plot that were reserved for a park and were part of the city’s famous Safari Park in District East fell prey to massively illegal commercial activities over the years.Latest Pakistan News obtained copies of at least five agreements that allowed commercial activities on the premises of the park over the course of five years and found out under whose watch those agreements were signed.The park is currently known as Aladin Amusement Park, which had been housing Aladin Shopping Mall and Pavilion End Club.

On June 14, 2021, the Supreme Court declared both of them illegal and ordered their demolition within two days.

Amenity plots are reserved for parks, gardens, playgrounds, graveyards, hospitals, schools, colleges, libraries, community centers, mosques, or other such purposes.It began in 1995The saga of Aladin Park started in 1995 when then Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief minister Syed Abdullah Shah and chief secretary formed a committee to convert 52 acres of Safari Park into an amusement park.

Hameed Haroon chaired the committee, and then KMC administrator Fahim Zaman was one of its members.On May 30 Zaman signed an agreement with Zodiac Joyland, which was granted the 52 acres facing Rashid Minhas Road for 25 years to develop an amusement park on the pattern of Disneyland.

The lease was granted on the condition that the land would be used for amenity purposes.The developer was bound by the agreement to submit a detailed master plan and a detailed design of the proposed amusement park to the KMC within six months.The agreement stated that 66 percent of the area would remain open space, while the remaining 34 percent could be covered by building structures and machines, within which not more than five percent could be used for commercial purposes like gift shops and snack bars.The fifth clause of the agreement clearly restricts the developer from subleasing or assigning the project land or any part of it to anyone else.A fresh agreementZaman was the administrator until April 4, 1996.

On April 9, when PPP was still in power and Aznar Hussain Zaidi was the new KMC administrator, a fresh agreement was signed between the KMC and AA Joyland.