[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://i.samaa.tv/wp-content/uploads//usr/nfs/sestore3/samaa/vodstore/digital-library/2018/04/Were-Empress-Market-shops-legal_-_-Samaa-Digital-_-Nov-24-2018.mp4"][/video] This story begins in the days when Ayub Khan was in power. He had a passion for urban planning and a deep dislike for katchi abadis or informality. It was on his watch that a new law called the West Pakistan Municipal Committees (Property) Rules of 1962 was passed, and was ultimately used to herd street-cart sellers from around Karachi into the area around Empress Market. Watch more Samaa Originals on our YouTube channel or Facebook