THE Defence Housing Authority, Lahore, established under the provisions of Defence Housing Authority Lahore Ordinance, 1999, has the authority to develop housing facilities in Lahore only, but now it is developing a housing scheme in Gujranwala — spread over 10,000 acres without any lawful authority.

In furtherance of such a plan, DHA officials are coercing landowners to surrender their land on DHA’s terms and as such DHA first prohibited the sale and purchase of the property in 10 villages. Now water channels and passages are being dismantled and farmers are prohibited from agricultural activities besides intimidating them. On Nov 3 the District Bar Association passed a resolution condemning DHA’s unlawful acts and requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan to take notice of the press release issued to all newspapers, which allegedly no one had the courage to publish it except one newspaper. Is this how the rule of law works in ‘new Pakistan’?

Advocate Zulfiqar Ali Cheema

Gujranwala

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2018