BAHAWALNAGAR: State land worth billions of rupees is in illegal possession of influential land grabbers in Minchinabad municipal committee area and no action is being taken to retrieve it despite the court orders.

A report issued by the Minchinabad assistant commissioner (AC) has claimed that no state land was in illegal possession of the land grabbers in the jurisdictions of the municipal committee. However, citizens had shared documentary evidence that 206 kanal state land had been encroached upon by land grabbers.

The revenue department sources also revealed that in the jurisdictions of the municipal committee (MC), the state land worth billions was in possession of the land mafia and it had been identified in the revenue records.

The sources claimed some of the aforementioned land was retrieved in a grand operation in enure of former Minchinabad Assistant Commissioner Faiqa Sehar. However, it was once again grabbed after the transfer of the AC.

A social activist, Ghiasuddin Haqqani, told Dawn that the state land worth billions had been encroached upon at five places in Minchinabad city, including the area along the canal and nullah at Mauza Ganeshpura. He said 1,272 kanal of the provincial government and 206 kanal land of the municipal committee was in possession of the powerful land mafia. He said that he had shared documentary evidence of the aforementioned land with the AC office and had written applications to the chief secretary to the chief minister.

Haqqani alleged that three kanal land of Sabzi Mandi worth billions was encroached upon by the son of a revenue official. He claimed that the civil court had given a verdict in favour of the citizens two years ago in the case and around two weeks ago, the sessions court gave a ruling to transfer the land to municipal committee.

However, despite court orders revenue officials had been unable to retrieve the land.

Minchinabad AC Muhammad Akmal said the report denying the illegal occupation of the state land was sent to him by Chief Officer Rashid Ghaznavi and it was forwarded to the provincial government. He added the operation against illegal occupation was ongoing in other parts of the tehsil.

The AC said an operation scheduled for Feb 15 against illegal shops was cancelled because of the unavailability of police and other engagements but it would be completed as soon as possible.

Chief Officer Rashid Ghaznavi said the report he had sent to the AC office was old and a new report was being compiled. He added that all the record of operations held by previous ACs was available and efforts were being made to retrieve it.

RAPE CASE: Family of a 14-year-old gang-rape survivor boy of Fort Abbas alleged on Sunday the panchayat was pressurizing his family to reach a compromise with the six suspects and it had stopped them from pursuing the case.

Muhammad Ali, a labourer from Chak 281/HR, Fort Abbas, told the media his teenage son worked at a barber shop. On Feb 17, a man, identified in the FIR, took his son to a secluded place and raped him. He alleged that previously, five other suspects had been gang-raping his son.

According to Ali, when he came to know about the crime and he moved police to take action, the local panchayat started pressurising him to reach a compromise with the suspects. He said he went to the Fort Abbas police and lodged a first information report (FIR).

Fort Abbas Station House Officer Jawad Haider said the police had lodged an FIR against six men on complaint of Ali and arrested three of them.

The SHO said the arrested suspects had confessed to raping the boy. He said that the medical examination of the victim had been conducted and further action would be taken in the light of the medical report.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2021