KARACHI, Aug 13: The confusion over the ownership of 95 acres of land in a housing scheme deepened on Wednesday as the Sindh High Court official assignee sought to join in the proceedings without confirming or denying the rival claims.

Mai Kolachi Co-operative Housing Society first approached the court complaining that the 95 acres allotted to it at Deh Okewara, Tapo Sangal, District East (Scheme 33), had partially been encroached upon by the Pakistan Rangers.

The Rangers said five acres of the land claimed by the housing society were allotted to it for housing their officers and staff.

A division bench headed by acting Chief Justice Azizullah M. Memon did not restrain the respondent Rangers from raising any construction but warned them that any structure built by them would be liable to demolition at their own expense should the petition succeed.

After several dates of hearing, M/s National Cement Industries (Pvt) Limited appeared in court with the claim that the entire land belonged to it and had been taken possession of by the SHC official assignee as it went into liquidation and the assignee was appointed official liquidator. The company requested the court to make it a party in the proceedings as an intervener.

While the cement factory’s application was still pending, the official assignee entered appearance on Wednesday and also sought to be impleaded as an intervener. He did not say anything about the rival claims set up by the parties or the cement factory.

A division bench comprising ACJ A.M. Memon and Justice Khalid Ali Z. Qazi issued notices to the parties on the assignee’s plea for Sept 5 and asked him to submit the record of the land lying with him on that date. A deputy attorney-general said the land was involved in certain anti-corruption cases. The bench asked the SHC nazir to secure copies of the record and produce it on the next date.

Advocate Syed Masroor Alvi, counsel for the petitioner society, vehemently contested the claim of the cement factory and it was belied by the record.