PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has sought a report from Peshawar’s commissioner over multiple pleas against over two-decade long delay in the grant of possession of plots in the Regi Model Town (RMT) here to allottees.

A bench consisting of Justice Sahibzada Asadullah and Justice Inamullah Khan fixed June 17 for next hearing into the petitions, directing the commissioner, who heads a committee tasked with resolving the longstanding plots issue, to produce his report on the matter before that date.

Additional advocate general Niaz Mohammad informed the court that the commissioner had already prepared his report, which would be submitted at the earliest.

The court was hearing four petitions filed by hundreds 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.

Petitioners complain plot possession not given despite allotment in 1993

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

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.

Ayaz Khan, Saifullah Muhib Kakakhel, Mumtaz Ahmad and other lawyers represented the petitioners.

Mr Ayaz said that the petitioners 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-Griffith 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 claimed that some of the allottees purchased the plots during their youth and the entire amount of their savings were spent on the plot in which most of them got retired whereas some of them were at the verge of retirement.

He added that they had dreamt about construction of their own house at RMT but could not make it due to lack of interest of PDA and other respondents.

The counsel 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 the previous hearing, the deputy commissioners of Peshawar and Khyber districts had told the court that the property in question belonged to the Kokikhel tribe, a portion which fell within Khyber district while the remaining lies within Peshawar district.

They had said that owing to the involvement of multiple stakeholders and the complexity of the dispute, the Commissioner Peshawar Division took keen interest in resolving the matter, but despite hectic efforts, no final settlement had yet been reached.

Last year, the lawyer for the PDA had informed the court 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.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2026