RAWALPINDI: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has filed a petition with Lahore High Court (LHC)’s Rawalpindi registry, seeking the retrieval of a piece of land from the police.

The land was handed over to the district administration and the Rawalpindi police to protect it from encroachers in 2011.

The CAA general manager (legal), Obaid Abbasi, filed the petition and contended that instead of protecting

the land, the police authorities rented it out to the encroachers.

He said in November 2014 his department learnt from the local residents that the police had allowed the construction of kiosks on the land.

The petition termed the encroachments a threat to the ‘national security’ because the area was “highly sensitive” as there are threats of terrorist attack on the airport.

It requested the court to order the retrieval of the land from the police.

In 2011, some residents of Band Khanna Road reportedly encroached upon the over 12 marla land located along the airport’s boundary.

When the CAA tried to retrieve the land, the encroachers went into litigation and the matter is still pending in the civil court, the petition said.

However, the court in its interim order in 2011 asked the encraochers to vacate the land.

Equipped with the court order,the authority requested the district coordination officer (DCO) to retrieve the land.

The DCO asked the in-charge of the police chowki Band Khanna Road to take immediate action in coordination with the airport manager.

Till the final outcome in the case, the CAA gave the land in the custody of the police.

It said on a number of times the DCO and the city police chief were requested to vacate the land but to no avail, the petition added.

It pointed out that the Sadiqabad SHO and the in-charge chowki Band Khanna as well as some other police officials had recently established a permanent police kiosk on the land.

The police officials have also allowed constructions on the land and are receiving rent from the encroachers, the petition said.

It maintained that the CPO, SHO and the in-charge police chowki were supposed to protect the law but they were violating it.

No law allows them to use the land without any authorisation from the CAA.

The petition requested the court to direct the DCO and CPO to remove the police kiosk and other encroachments from the land and restore it to its original position.

The court issued notices to the DCO, CPO and the alleged encroachers and adjourned further hearing till a date to be fixed by the registrar office.

Published in Dawn January 31st, 2015

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