Sindh Province

Karachi: [ReNews Pakistan]
The Sindh High Court has ordered all parties to maintain the status quo in a case concerning a proposed construction project adjacent to the historic Mohatta Palace, while scheduling final arguments for the first week of August.
During the hearing, the Additional Advocate General (AAG) informed the court that the provincial heritage authorities had acted promptly after learning about excavation activities at the site. According to the AAG, the Culture, Tourism, Antiquities and Archives Department immediately issued a show cause notice, suspended the excavation work and referred the matter to its technical and advisory committees for detailed examination.
The government maintained that no unrestricted approval had been granted for the project. Instead, any permission was conditional and followed extensive deliberations by the relevant authorities. The conditions required an independent structural assessment, strict compliance with heritage conservation guidelines and a complete prohibition on excavation until a structural safety report had been submitted and reviewed.
The AAG further argued that the proposed building must remain lower in height than the historic Mohatta Palace and should not cause any structural, architectural or environmental damage to the adjoining protected heritage property. He told the court that the heritage department had consistently instructed the project's consultant to adopt all necessary safety measures and ensure that preservation of the palace remained the highest priority throughout the planning process.
Separate comments were also submitted by the Culture, Antiquities and Archives Department and the Director General of Antiquities and Archaeology, supporting the government's position on the matter.
Counsel representing the remaining respondents requested additional time to submit their replies, which the court accepted.
After hearing the preliminary submissions, the bench adjourned the proceedings to a date to be fixed in the first week of August. In its order, the court directed all parties to present their arguments at the next hearing and instructed them to maintain the existing position at the site until further orders.
The case centres on concerns over the potential impact of nearby construction on Mohatta Palace, one of Karachi's most prominent protected heritage landmarks. The court's interim order ensures that no further changes will take place at the disputed location until the legal issues surrounding the project are fully examined.

Hyderabad: [ReNews Pakistan]
The Hyderabad Electric Supply Company has intensified its ongoing operations against electricity theft and payment default, while a fresh press release and photographs relating to the July 15, 2026 crackdown have been uploaded to the company’s official website.
The official title describes the operation as a crackdown against defaulters and electricity thieves, indicating that the power distribution company is pursuing a coordinated campaign to recover outstanding dues, disconnect illegal connections and take action against those involved in the unauthorised use of electricity.
HESCO serves Hyderabad and several other districts of Sindh where electricity theft, illegal connections, unpaid bills and financial losses in the distribution network have remained major administrative and operational challenges.
Operations conducted under such campaigns generally include the removal of illegal connections, disconnection of defaulting consumers, assessment of illegally consumed electricity, imposition of detection bills, recovery of outstanding dues and submission of applications to police for legal action against alleged electricity thieves.
However, the publicly available official title does not provide the complete number of illegal connections disconnected during the July 15 operation, the amount recovered from defaulters, the value of detection bills imposed or the number of cases referred to the police.
The original press release, photographic handout or complete text issued by HESCO’s public relations department will be required to independently confirm the numerical results of the operation. Once the complete document becomes available, the action taken in different circles, divisions and subdivisions could also be examined separately.
HESCO has also appealed to the public through its official website to provide verified information about electricity theft. The company says the identity of informants will be kept confidential and that a reward may be provided under the applicable rules after the recovery of penalties from electricity thieves.
Electricity distribution companies maintain that power theft and poor recovery of dues increase financial losses, weaken the distribution system and place additional pressure on consumers who regularly pay their electricity bills.
The impact of HESCO’s latest crackdown can therefore be fully assessed only after the company releases complete and verifiable figures covering recoveries, disconnected connections, detection bills and legal cases arising from the operation.

Karachi: [ReNews Pakistan]
The Karachi Development Authority (KDA) and the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) have reviewed a range of affordable financing initiatives designed to improve the financial well being of government employees, with a particular focus on expanding access to low cost housing finance and essential financial services.
The initiatives were discussed during a meeting between senior KDA officials and a delegation from the State Bank of Pakistan led by Muhammad Daniyal Khan, Assistant Director of the Financial Inclusion Division. The meeting focused on strengthening financial inclusion and creating greater awareness among public sector employees about financing facilities available through the country's banking system.
During the briefing, SBP officials highlighted several financing programmes currently being offered through scheduled banks. A key feature of the discussion was the subsidised housing finance scheme that enables eligible government employees to obtain loans for purchasing or constructing homes at a concessional markup rate of 5 percent. The programme is intended to make home ownership more affordable for public sector workers while supporting the government's broader housing objectives.
In addition to housing finance, the SBP delegation presented financing facilities aimed at encouraging sustainable living and affordable mobility. These include zero markup or easy installment schemes for electric motorcycles, solar energy systems and CNG rickshaws. The programmes are expected to reduce transportation costs, promote clean energy adoption and improve financial accessibility for employees.
KDA Member Finance Naveed Anwar Siddiqui reaffirmed that employee welfare remains one of the authority's key priorities. He expressed confidence that greater awareness of these financing opportunities would enable employees to benefit from home ownership as well as other financial products that support long term economic stability.
To further simplify access to banking services, KDA announced plans to establish commercial bank counters at its head office. The initiative will allow employees to obtain information, submit applications and access financial services more conveniently without leaving the workplace.
The authority also plans to organise additional awareness sessions in collaboration with financial institutions so that employees can better understand the eligibility criteria, application procedures and benefits of the various financing schemes available to them. These efforts are expected to strengthen financial inclusion while encouraging wider participation in affordable housing and clean energy financing programmes.