{
  "id": 5235662,
  "title": "SHC orders Evacuee Trust Property Board to unseal Cotton Exchange building",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/shc-orders-evacuee-trust-property-board-to-unseal-cotton-exchange",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T03:35:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn - Pakistan",
    "slug": "dawn-pakistan",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2027025/shc-orders-evacuee-trust-property-board-to-unseal-cotton-exchange-building"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In a significant move, the Sindh High Court has directed the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) to unseal the historic Karachi Cotton Exchange building. The court expressed outrage at the ETPB officials for violating an earlier order regarding the property, which was sealed during a joint raid by the ETPB and Federal Investigation Agency in December. The court has also ordered the alleged offenders to file a compliance report at the next hearing after unsealing the building.\n\nThe Karachi Cotton Association (KCA) and other petitioners have filed applications for contempt proceedings against the ETPB's chairman Qamar-uz-Zaman, administrator/zonal head Asif Khan, and deputy administrator Shahid Ali for their failure to comply with the Sindh High Court's judgement. They argue that the ownership dispute of the building has been decided by the ETPB, yet the court has not been informed of this decision.\n\nAt a recent hearing, the ETPB's Karachi administrator presented before the court said that its chairman had decided the ownership dispute on July 30, declaring the building as federal evacuee trust property. However, the court held the ETPB officials in contempt for disregarding its order, and adjourned the hearing till September 9, instructing them to unseal the property and submit a compliance report at the next hearing.",
  "summary": "KARACHI: While expressing serious resentment with officials of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) for flouting its earlier order regarding the Karachi Cotton Exchange building, the Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed them to de-seal the historical building. The SHC also ordered the alleged contemnors to submit a compliance report at next hearing after de-sealing the subject building,…",
  "key_points": [
    "Sindh High Court orders ETPB to unseal historic Karachi Cotton Exchange building",
    "ETPB officials accused of violating court order in December",
    "Compliance report required after unsealing building"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The court's directive to unseal the Karachi Cotton Exchange building signals a temporary reprieve for the petitioners, but also highlights the Evacuee Trust Property Board's history of disregarding court orders.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}