MULTAN: The Lahore High Court (LHC), Multan bench, directed on Thursday the police to ensure the appearance of a PML-N MPA and other respondents in a land-grab case on the next hearing.

Khalid Siddiqi, of Tibba Masoodpur, filed a petition, making senior police officials, tehsildar and 61 other people respondents, that he owned 1.1 kanals at Mauza Tibba Masoodpur, which he obtained through the mutation of inheritance. On Sept 30, 2014, private respondents vandalised his service station and other constructions on the land besides stealing the belongings.

He said he alerted the police but respondents fled before their arrival. He said the police made a request to the special magistrate for proceedings under Section 145 of the Pakistan Penal Code (seizing the property) who dismissed the police request.

Muzaffarabad police registered a case on Dec 3, 2014, under sections 379, 448, 452, 511, 427, 148 and 149 of the PPC. Suspects’ pre-arrest bail pleas were dismissed by an additional district and sessions judge on Jan 22.

He alleged private respondents had the backing of PML-N MPA Shahzad Maqbool Bhutta and the investigation superintendent of police (SP) was himself conducting investigation of the case under political duress.

He said the SSP threatened him with framing him in cases if he did not hand over the possession of the land to the accused.

“For this purpose, the SP asked the tehsildar to maintain the revenue record in favour of the accused and he initiated proceedings under sections 117 and 122 of the Land Revenue Act with an intention to dispossess me from the property,” he said.

He said he also filed a suit against the accused that is pending adjudication in the civil court of Multan.

He also produced the forged registry of the accused and plaints pending adjudication between the parties and the photographs showing vandalising of the property by private respondents.

He requested the court to direct the respondents not to dispossess him from his land and the police arrest the accused and investigate the matter.

Petitioner counsel Javed Iqbal Thaheem said Justice Chaudhry Mushtaq directed the police that respondents be appeared before the court and police report was not sufficient. Earlie, on Feb 17, Justice Muhammad Farrukh Irfan Khan had issued notice to respondents to appear before the court on March 5.

Published in Dawn March 6th, 2015

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