PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has again sought a report from Peshawar’s commissioner over a petition filed against a long delay in the grant of possession of plots in the Regi Model Town here to allottees.

A bench consisting of Justice Naeem Anwar and Justice Kamran Hayat Miankhel directed the commissioner, who heads a committee tasked with resolving the longstanding plot issue, to submit the report within a fortnight.

The court was hearing a petition filed by several of the plot allottees including president of RMT Affectees Association Sirajul Haq and others, who requested the court to declare the ‘denial’ of the possession of plots in the RMT zones I, II and V illegal and with ulterior motives.

The petitioners, who claim to be representing all the affected families, have sought orders for the respondents, including the provincial government and the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) to give them plot possession due to payments.

Gives commissioner fortnight’s time for compliance with orders

The petitioners requested the court to direct the government to settle a longstanding dispute with members of the Kokikhel tribe over land meant for RMT.

Advocate Mohammad Ayaz Khan appeared for the petitioners and stated that his clients were allottees of plots in the RMT, which was a project of the PDA, but possession of those plots had not been given to them despite allotment in 1993.

He said plots in the scheme’s zones III and IV were developed and houses were constructed on them.

The lawyer said the dates of allotment of plots in all zones was the same but due to dispute of the Maffey Grift Line between the Kukikhel tribe and the government over the ownership of land, the allottees of plots in three zones still awaited due rights.

He contended that some of them had purchased it from their original owners and that they had long been aggrieved by the denial of plot possession as the respondents didn’t take the dispute seriously and were not resolving it.

The lawyer stated that earlier different courts had also issued orders directing the PDA to handover possession of plots to the allottees, but in vain.

He said the aggrieved families totaled around 17000 which also included families of martyrs and retired government servants. He added that instead of resolving this issue the government had launched new townships.

During a hearing in Jan this year, the court was informed by the lawyer for the Peshawar Development Authority that a committee had been constituted to look into the matter, with Peshawar’s commissioner being its head.

He had added that the terms of reference for the committee outlined its mandate to verify the legitimacy of compensation claims for disputed land and address valid grievances.

The bench then sought a detailed report from the commissioner about the issue. Now as the report hasn’t been submitted, the bench issued fresh orders for its production.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2025