Karachi (HRNW)– Chairman of the Association of Builders and Developers Pakistan (ABAD), Muhammad Hasan Bakhshi, has expressed serious concern over the increasing incidents of extortion targeting builders in Karachi.
Speaking to the media at ABAD House, he stated that over the past five months, ten members received extortion calls, demanding a total of PKR 50 million from numbers originating in Dubai and Iran.
He said that the city’s extortion mafia is increasingly harassing builders. “Perpetrators provide their names and numbers on extortion notices, yet no action is taken, which is deeply worrying,” he added. Ten members have filed complaints with ABAD regarding these incidents.
Hasan Bakhshi further highlighted that a climate of fear is being created in Karachi. While Safe City cameras have been installed across the city, he questioned how many extortionists have actually been apprehended using this surveillance system.
He raised concerns about the safety of citizens, noting that a lawyer was abducted at 6 a.m. recently, and emphasized that many Karachi residents are being forced to move their businesses abroad. He also alleged that government officials are now involved in illegal land grabs, citing an incident in Surjani Town where a member’s land was seized.
The ABAD chairman criticized the lack of enforcement of court rulings, stating that while extortion and land grabs persist, FBR raids are carried out indiscriminately, and illegal construction continues with the approval of SBCA officials. He warned that the situation can no longer be ignored: “How long will we remain silent? Remaining silent is no longer possible.”
