KASUR: The anti-corruption establishment on Tuesday initiated an inquiry into a land ‘scam’ and issued summons for Dec 10 to Bahria Town chairman Malik Riaz in a forgery case of land measuring 641 kanals and seven marlas (about 80 acres) situated at Shah Inayat village in Kot Radha Kishan tehsil.

According to complainant Sajid Jahangir, the land bearing Khewat nos. 61 and 62, Khatooni no. 120, Jamabandi, 2002/2003 at Mauza Shah Inayat belonged to him and others including Muhammad Khalid, Majid Jahangir, Sikandar Azam, Shahid Ajmal, Raeesa Begum and Ajmal Khan.

Jahangir claimed that all the owners issued a combined power of attorney in the name of Ajmal Khan for the purpose of division [and identification] of the land as per their share, and he (Jahangir) went abroad.

The complainant claimed that Ajmal Khan had in May 2004 submitted an application on behalf of all owners to the office of local assistant collector for the division and identification of the land against Rana Buland Akhtar, who also owned a tract in the same Khatta.

Jahangir alleged that Akhtar at the behest of Malik Riaz and with the connivance of revenue officials prepared bogus Iqrar Namas, power of attorney and other documents in his (Akhtar’s) name. Later, Akhtar got the land transferred to Bahria Town. He alleged that Malik Riaz got mutation of the land in the name of Bahria Town in 2008.

ACE Deputy Director Iqbal Hameed and Circle Officer Shahid Inayat Bhatti are probing the matter.

Hameed told Dawn that some high profile cases [including this] were hit by ‘red tape’ but following instructions of their chief Muhammad Asghar Joyia, probe was started.

Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2018