04 March 2005	Friday	22 Muharram 1426

LAHORE, March 3: Five scions of Nadir Shah Durrani, the great grandson of founder of Afghanistan Ahmad Shah Abdali, have moved the Lahore High Court against the allotment of their hereditary property in favour of one member of the royal family.

A writ petition was moved by Nadir Shah's great grandsons - Shahzada Muhammad Zarbakht Durrani, Shahzada Ahmad Shuja Durrani, Shahzada Nadeem Durrani, Shahzada Muhammad Yousaf Durrani and Shahzada Muhammad Muzammil Durrani - against the allotment of 182 acres at Rakh Bangash in Cantonment by the Punjab Board of Revenue to Shahzada Ashraf Durrani (who is their cousin).

The land around Lahore was allotted in 1890 to Nadir Shah, who died in December 1895, after surrendering 2,000 acres which the British rulers allotted to him in 1878 and whose lease deed was executed in July 1878.

The members of the family, who submitted the writ petition through Advocate Mian Muhammad Hanif Tahir, contended that the board allotted the entire land to Ashraf in September 1992. When they came to know about the allotment, they said they challenged the decision in 1994.

They further submitted that while the petition was still pending with the BoR, Ashraf moved the high court for implementation of the BOR decision in his favour. They stated that the land belonged to all the descendants of Shahzada Ahmad and its allotment to one of the heirs was unlawful.

They requested the court to declare the BOR's decision illegal and direct it to cancel the allotment and distribute the land among all legal. Nadir Shah had five sons and the petitioners are the grandsons of his son, Omer Durrani. Respondent Ashraf Durrani is the son of Ahmad Shah's another son Shahzada Hamdam Durrani.

The petitioners are living in Gowalmandi, Krishan Nagar and Jauhar Town. Shahzada Ahmad Shuja and Nadeem Durrani are working with the PIA and Zarbakht Durrani is employed with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission.