ISLAMABAD: The capital administration on Saturday put the names of nine people on the Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) for their alleged involvement in land grabbing activities.

Criminal activities, including land grabbing, reported to the police against the suspects were checked and examined to take action against them. The Special Branch had also prepared a report and sent it to the authorities concerned.

Last month, the police had sent the names to the administration with a request to put them in the watch list of the ATA.

Separate notifications issued by the administration on Sunday carried the names of the suspected land grabbers.

One of the notifications stated that under the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997’s Section 11EE, subsection (1), read with Islamabad Capital Territory Administration Order (No18 of 1980) and all other enabling powers in that behalf, the name of Mohammad Muswar Abbasi, a resident of Shahzad Town, is included in the fourth schedule of the ATA based on reports of the senior superintendent of police (SSP) Islamabad which were recommended by the district magistrate and endorsed by the district intelligence committee at a recent meeting.

The other suspects put in the fourth schedule are: Raja Ali Akbar, a resident of Ghouri Town, Asif Khokhar, Alipur, Chaudhry Abdul Rehman, Ghouri Town, Khurram Shahzad, Humak, Raja Raziur Rehman, Bhara Kahu, Raja Nasir Hanif, Bhara Kahu, Sain Fazal Inam Sabir, Sihala, and Chaudhry Mudassar, Sihala.

earlier, the capital administration and police had jointly prepared a list of 22 alleged land grabbers, officials in the administration and police said.

The suspects allegedly employed goons and henchmen to terrorise the citizens in order to grab their lands.

Later, however, it was decided that the names of only top nine alleged land grabbers would be put on the watch list.

After the inclusion of the suspected land grabbers in the fourth schedule, the police could keep a check on their and their kin’s bank accounts and other properties.

Their criminal activities could be minimised if their movement is restricted, said officials.

The fourth schedulers are bound to submit an affidavit of their good behaviour to the area police.

Besides, they are also bound to inform the police before going outside the city and upon their return.

“Without the permission of the district administration, a fourth scheduler cannot leave their district,” said a police officer. Their criminal activities could be minimised if their movement is restricted, he added.

Besides putting the names of the suspected land grabbers in the watch list, a major reshuffle in the revenue department has been initiated and 12 patwaris have been transferred from places where they had been working for years, said the officials. They said these rectifying measures had been enforced at the grassroots level.

A new regulatory mechanism has also been devised and implemented forthwith for transfer of shares in the shamlat (common) lands. The longstanding issue of land mutation in Zone-3 has also been addressed and all such mutations have been stopped till the granting of no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

In order to bring a cultural change in the revenue department, its nomenclature has been transformed and new names for the revenue hierarchy has been enforced to make it more public friendly besides doing away with the old mindset attached with designations such as patwari, gardawar etc.

In another move, facilitation centres and one-window operation have been brought into operation at Tarlai and Bhara Kahu revenue centres.

By this step, the revenue officials and public have been connected with each other in a fashion where monitoring and a check and balance system becomes an essential and basic element, said the officials.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2019