RAWALPINDI: The Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) on Friday sought the land revenue record of Lal Haveli, the political office of former interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, from the land revenue branch of the district administration to verify his claim of ownership on the land adjacent to the building.

The ETPB on Thursday sought help of the district administration to vacate the political centre of Mr Ahmed, who is chief of Awami Muslim League (AML).

In this regard, ETPB wrote a letter to the deputy commissioner Rawalpindi to provide police assistance to recover the possession. However, Mr Ahmed claimed that he had legal documents of the land revenue branch.

But on Friday, ETPB Rawalpindi administrator Asif Khan wrote a letter to the registrar city of the district administration and sought documents of Lal Haveli to verify the claim of the former minister.

Talking to Dawn, the ETPB administrator said six units adjacent to Lal Haveli were on lease to different tenants but the AML chief used it as part of his Lal Haveli.

Six units leased to different tenants but Sheikh Rashid is using them, says official

He said a 140 square feet room was being used as kitchen of Lal Haveli and the area measuring nine metres and 84 square feet was being used as rooms of the security guards of the former federal minister.

However, he added, the ETPB had given this property to Wilayat Jan, widow of Ayub Shah. He said as per law, the tenants had no authority to sub-let the lease property, neither they can change the original structure. However, he said, the ETPB was taking action on the violation.

He said January 30 had been fixed to vacate the land and help of the city police officer and the deputy commissioner had been sought to provide force to vacate the ETPB land from illegal possession.

“We also wrote a letter to the registrar about the verification of documents available in the land revenue branch of the property,” he said.

According to the letter written to the deputy commissioner, ETPB properties bearing H. 67, H. 67/A situated on Murree Road, U-350 Raja Bazaar, D-158 and D-159 situated at Bohar Bazaar are in illegal possession of different people. The ETPB administrator requested the deputy commissioner to provide police force for retrieval of the evacuee trust properties on January 30 “to avoid any misshape due to political reason so we will submit positive report to Supreme Court of Pakistan on the subject of retrieval.”

Talking to Dawn, Sheikh Rashid Shafique, PTI former MNA and nephew of the AML chief, said there was no issue about the five marla land of Lal Haveli as it was registered in the name of the AML chief’s younger brother Sheikh Sadeeq. However, there the issue is over seven units adjacent to Lal Haveli and the temple over which the ETPB in 2012 gave a verdict in our favour,” he said. He said thepropertywas not part of Lal Haveli but located adjacent to it. He said the possession of the property was with the former minister since 1993.

“We are ready to pay one year’s dues but ETPB is using delaying tactics and reopened the case after 10 years. We would contact the district and sessions court on Saturday (today) against the move of ETPB,” he added.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2023