BAHAWALPUR, Feb 20: The urban and rural properties of late Sir Sadiq Muhammad Khan Abbasi (the fifth) will be distributed among his 23 legal heirs and their 70 descendants soon.

Although official list of his properties is yet to be brought to light, sources told Dawn that the Nawab's urban properties included Gulzar Mahal in the Bahawalpur city stretching over 34 acres, which is now occupied by army.

The Gulzar Mahal is adjacent to another historical building of Darbar Mahal, almost 70 acres, along with a number of other buildings. These buildings were once in the use of the offices of the government departments. The premises have magnificent Darbar Hall where the meetings of the then divisional councils during late Ayub Khan's regime were held by the administration.

There is also a beautiful building of a 'baradari' which used to be the office of the Divisional Public Relations of the then West Pakistan government. The building of Noor Mahal, along with its vast area of about 95 acres, has already been sold out to army, which paid Rs120 million to the government. Safron (states and frontier region) of the federal ministry has already paid its share to all the legal heirs.

The historic Sadiqgarh palace, which was desealed on Monday, spreads over approximately 500 acres with all facilities like garages, water supply arrangements, electric generation system, and a mosque that looks neglected now.

Attached with the boundary wall of the palace are a number of late Nawab's buildings, including Noor Manzil, Rahat Manzil, Mubarak Manzil and Sadiq Manzil, a residence for ex-MNA Nawab Salahuddin Abbasi.

The sources said the late Nawab of Bahawalpur also used Sadiq Manzil as his residence and it might not be included in the list of properties to be distributed among the legal heirs.

The Sadiqgarh palace was built around 1890 by Sadiq Muhammad Abbasi (the fourth) at a cost of nearly Rs900,000. Among the Nawab's landed properties, the shikargah figures on top of the list. It covers 3,440 acres and its various pieces are, at present, in the possession of different members of the royal family.

The jageer of Mauza Abbaspur near Ahmedpur East has an area of 40 squares. Besides, agricultural land is also situated at Mauza Jajja Abbasian near Khanpur and at Chak 26 and 27. There are also more than five orchards in the vicinity of Ahmedpur East.

Among the palaces, another building of daulatkhana is located on the Darbar Mahal Road, which is the birthplace of late Nawab Sir Sadiq Abbasi (the fifth). This building had been used by various government offices during the past years. In addition, some plots are located at Mauza Dera Izzat near Bahawalpur and some landed property at Khanpur.

Moreover, the Bahawalpur amir owned bungalows namely Al-Shams and Al-Qamar in Malir Karachi. But those were given to his son during his life time. Meanwhile, the widow and daughter of late Prince Haroonur Rashid Abbasi (former Pakistani ambassador) at a press conference here on Friday iterated their demands of the payment of their shares from the income of the property of the late Nawab by Safron.

SET FREE: A local property dealer, who was taken into custody by police in December last and was later shifted to Islamabad for his alleged involvement in attack on President Pervez Musharraf, has been set free.