ENCOURAGED by the Supreme Court injunctions barring the Bahria Town from undertaking developmental works on unlawfully obtained land by MDA, I want to highlight my case.

I, a housewife with meagre means for subsistence, filled a form for the acquisition of a residential plot in Bahria Town, Nawabshah, last year. A sum of Rs30,000 was deposited in a commercial bank, out of which Rs25,000 was the refundable amount in case of withdrawal and Rs5,000 the processing fee.

Another amount of Rs1,000, being the form fee, was charged. Finding the project too costly and unaffordable, I decided to withdraw. The trouble was that the amounts were accepted from all over the country through banks whereas for refund, condition was put forth that the applicant himself or herself must travel to Nawabshah to claim the refund.

Seeking no other remedy I travelled form Larkana to Nawabshah on Jan 23 last and submitted the refund application. The clerk behind the counter made an endorsement on the receipt that the refund claim will mature in three months from the date of lodgement and I was informed that I would be receiving my refund cheque in due course of time.

I should have received my money by April 22 last but nothing was heard from Bahria Town, Nawabshah. After a lapse of many days from the given deadline Bahria Town, Nawabshah, was approached telephonically.

They advanced the implausible arguments that the cheque had been delayed from Dubai etc. Why should the cheque come from Dubai when the amount was collected locally?

Did I deposit the amount to buy property in Dubai?

I request the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take suo motu notice of this part of scam. The National Accountability Bureau should investigate this aspect of the matter.

Kanwal Rani Abro
Nawabshah

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2016