SAHIWAL: An influential landlord allegedly had a patwari tortured in illegal detention for daring to refuse ‘hadbandi’ (identification and measurement) of a four-acre commercial plot according to his wish.

Haji Liaquat, a patwari of Pakpattan’s City Circle, on Wednesday highlighted the inhuman treatment meted out to him by Rana Ahmed Ali, the father of a ruling party MPA.

The MPA admits his father has a land dispute but says he has nothing to do with it.

Haji Liaquat alleged that on his refusal to measure Rana Ahmed’s controversial land without a court order, his five guards illegally detained him at MPA’s farmhouse on Hota Road and clubbed him.

The landowner also abused and slapped him, he said, and asked the guards to make a mobile video of the torture which he showed to some people at the farmhouse.

The victim got the medicolegal certificate from the District Headquarters Hospital on the order of a local court. The matter came to public attention when Rao Ihsan, president of Anjuman-i-Patwarian Association’s district chapter, protested and demanded registration of a case against the MPA’s father.

Additional District Collector (Pakpattan) Arif Umar Aziz told this correspondent that he had the knowledge of the incident but the patwari had not come up with any written complaint against manhandling and torture.

It is alleged that Rana Ahmed had previously slapped the EDO finance and disrupted a public function organised by a local civil society organisation at the TMA Hall on May Day.

Published in Dawn November 3rd, 2016