LAHORE: Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) Chairman Siddiqul Farooq said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has taken notice of the Nankana Sahib violence, constituted a high-level committee to discuss the issue in detail and give recommendations for a solution.

He also voiced his disagreement over the findings of an inquiry team into the May 14 incident in Nankana Sahib, stating that they represented the stance of those occupying the trust land.

“The committee has been constituted by the prime minister and it was notified on Thursday. It is being headed by Mr Saood Majeed and comprises me, Babar Hasan Bharwana, retired Capt Safdar, MNA Shizra Mansab and the religious affairs secretary,” Farooq told Dawn on Friday.


Farooq rejects inquiry report on May 14 violence as one-sided


He also said the committee’s first and final meeting was called on Friday. The committee was bound to send a detailed report to the PM in the UK the same day after the meeting and the members discussed issues prevailing in Nankana Sahib, especially after May 14.

“The main issues the members discussed include the annual lease rate (per acre), encroachment on ETPB land and regulating those who have built houses on three to 10 marla pieces of ETPB land in Nankana city. The violence was also discussed in detail,” he explained.

Farooq said MNA Shizra told the meeting that since the people occupying state land were ready to pay rent, the ETPB must make them tenants. The formal tenants of agricultural land just wanted to pay annual lease amount equal to 40kg of wheat per acre, but the ETPB was of the view that they should pay as per market rate, he added.

While discussing findings of an inquiry team constituted by the chief minister to probe into the Nankana violence, the ETPB chairman said: “I disagree with the team’s findings. This report represents stance of those who spoiled the situation on May 14.”

To a question, he said at the time of the violence he only held a pistol while sitting in his car. “I say under oath that I neither pointed the pistol at anyone nor fired from it. I just held it out in self-defence while someone damaged my car. I was forced to hold it after someone fired at me and the bullet just passed over my head,” he claimed.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2016

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