MUZAFFARGARH: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has registered a case against former MNA Malik Sultan Mahmood Hinjra, former minister Ahmad Yar Hinjra, district council former chairman Malik Afzal Hinjra and three patwaris for illegal occupation of the land of Leshariwala Jungle for the last 25 years.

The first information report (FIR) was registered on Saturday on the complaint of Deputy Commissioner Amjad Shoaib Tareen. The Hinjras termed the FIR political victimisation.

The DC said 2,370 acres of forest department land near Head Taunsa Barrage was occupied by the three Hinjras.

He said the approximate value of the benefits that the suspects got from the land was Rs50m annually.

An ACE official told Dawn the officials of irrigation, wildlife and forest departments, involved in the land grab, would not be spared.

On the other hand, the district establishment decided to preserve the 32,000 kanal green land and natural lakes and set up a golf course there.

DC Tareen said the district administration was making the forest a Safari park for the people to visit the protected area anytime. He added that his teams were making lists of the land occupied in the forest in the past.

More than 16,000 kanal land of Leshariwala forest was reportedly retrieved from the land grabbers while District Police Officer Muhammad Hassan Iqbal deputed police there to take action against the occupants.

Three cases were already registered while 121 people had been booked in different cases on complaints of the irrigation officials.

When contacted, Malik Afzal Hinjra denied allegations of occupying the forest land, saying he and his family never occupied the state land. He said his family was in politics for the last 35 years and remained connected with the PML-N.

Former minister Malik Ahmad Yar Hinjra said he and his family would face the case, which was a political stunt.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2021