May 07, 2008	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 1, 1429

RAWALPINDI, May 6: A land dispute hanging fire since 1999 came haunting the military establishment on Tuesday when a high court ordered some officers named in the case to reply to the charges in writing within one month or prepare to be called to the court.

Two residents of Dheri Hassanabad Nisar Ahmad and Yasmeen Nawaz had petitioned the Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court in 1999 that Military Lands and Rawalpindi Cantonment had acquired their land in Gangal village, falling in Chaklala Base, for a limited period but did not vacate it after the period expired.

When the petition, after many twists and turns, again came for hearing Flight Lieutenant Farhat Ameen Qureshi sought one month’s time which presiding judges, Justice Maulvi Anwarul Haq and Justice Ali Akbar Qureshi granted.

At dispute is land measuring 31 kanals and 3 marlas. The petitioners alleged that Military Lands did not comply with the orders of a court in their favour and did not even bother to reply to a contempt of court notice.

The petitioners have made Lt-Gen (retired) Hamid Nawaz, secretary defence in 1999, Maj Gen Muhammad Javed, Director General Military Lands, Cantonment, ministry of defence, Muhammad Awais Military Estate Officer and Air Commodore Munawar Siddique along with some others as respondents.

Meanwhile, The LHC adjourned the hearing till May 7 in the case of Syed Javed Ahmad who had moved the court for bail and suspension of the sentence against him awarded by an accountability court.

The National Accountability Bureau in its reference against Javed Ahmad had alleged that he had been engaged in unlawful banking and investment business attracting people to invest in his company by the name of Fidelity Futures Management and cheating them.

Javed Ahmad as chief executive of the company was running a business of money exchange but he was engaged in unlawful banking as he did not have an account in any international bank, a pre- requisite for running the business, the NAB further alleged. According to the NAB, the accused has cheated general public and embezzled an amount of $200,000.

Mr Javed on the other hand pleaded that none of the 32 people the NAB had mentioned in its reference against him had lodged any complaint against him.