Shamim Usman, a 65-year-old resident of the Nasla Tower, has died of ‘sheer depression’ after she and other residents were forced to vacate the building on the orders of the Supreme Court. The Association of Builders and Developers (Abad) informed media about her death on Friday.
According to Abad, Usman was a retired employee of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) who had invested all her earnings in the residence. In a statement, Abad said, “Shamim Usman resided in flat No 104 of Nasla Tower. She was in sheer depression after she and all residents of Nasla Tower were forced to leave their homes on the order of Supreme Court”.
A Supreme Court bench had on June 16 ordered the demolition of the Nasla Tower for encroachment on public land. The court had also ordered the owner of the tower to refund the amount obtained from residents and commercial unit buyers.
Following up, in October the court ordered that ‘controlled blasting’ should be used to demolish the building. The authorities vacated the building in late October following the order.
Following the apex courts order, protesters arrived at Shahrah-e-Faisal to express their displeasure. The protest was called Abad. Protesters attempted to prevent the demolition of the 15-story building from proceeding and disrupted traffic along the busy route. Rangers and police eventually resorted to batons and tear gas in an effort to disperse the protesters.
Sad but real culprits are not punished