A VIDEO recently went viral on social media where a client of Bahria Town Karachi addressed Malik Riaz and accused him of having deprived him of his plot of land. The very next day the Bahria Town management refunded him as a face-saving measure.

Similarly, like many victims, I also purchased a land of 500 square yards in Karachi’s Bahria Town Sports City in Precinct 43 in 2016. The next year, the Sindh High Court cancelled some land in possession of Bahria Town Karachi owing to illegal occupation, and imposed financial penalties too.

Till then, I had paid Rs2.3 million, but after this litigation I stopped payment of further installments. I am not alone. All those people whose plots of land were cancelled remain deprived of refund to date. In 2020, I got only my refund slip for the amount I had already paid, but the actual refund is nowhere in sight.

The tycoon has been involved in a lot of social work and provides even free meals to the underprivileged in Pakistan. But can one justify grabbing people’s money while being involved in social work?

I would urge the relevant authorities to look into the matter and make the Bahria Town management to refund the amount to all the affectees and to compensate them as per the current market value of the real estate the people had paid for years ago.

Hadi Murad

Rawalpindi

Published in Dawn, May 20th, 2021