LAHORE: A civil court has issued fresh notices to the chief settlement commissioner and a sister of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in a suit that accuses the Punjab government of forging revenue record to disturb the ownership of Jati Umra residence of the Sharif family.

Yousaf Abbas Sharif and three other children of Abbas Sharif, late brother of Nawaz Sharif, had filed the suit seeking a declaration in their favour as lawful owners in possession of the property being legal heirs of late Ms Shamim Akhtar, the grandmother of the plaintiffs.

During the last hearing on Sept 20, the court was informed that the process of summoning the chief settlement commissioner and Kausar Yousaf, a sister of Nawaz, had not been completed.

At this, Civil Judge Imran Ishaque directed the process server to take pictures of the houses of the defendants, their persons or any other person, if any, accepting the summons on the behalf of the defendants.

The process server was also directed to make a site map of the house/place on the backside of the summons. The court would resume the next hearing on Oct 1.

During April hearing, the court had maintained the status quo in the case.

The plaintiff arrayed ex-premier Nawaz Sharif, Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and their sister Kausar Yousaf as pro-forma defendants in the suit, saying they were unable to join the litigation as plaintiffs.

The suit states that the plaintiffs and the pro-forma defendants are the legal heirs and successors-in-interest of Ms Akhtar, wife of Mian Muhammad Sharif. Ms Akhtar was the owner of property measuring 241-kanal and 10-marla in the revenue estate of Manak, Raiwind tehsil, Lahore district, through two registered sale deeds materialised in 1993 and 1996, respectively.

Ms Akhtar breathed her last in London, UK, on Nov 22, 2020, leaving behind the plaintiffs and pro-forma defendants as her only legal heirs.

The suit contends that the plaintiffs and the pro-forma defendants are the joint owners in possession of the Jati Umra, Raiwind, property measuring 1,580 kanals, including the land mentioned in the two sale deeds.

Out of the total 1,580 kanals, land measuring 1,180 kanal is agricultural land, whereas the remaining 400 kanals comprise mansions constructed by the plaintiffs and the pro-forma defendants, who have been in possession of the land since they had purchased the same.

It says the revenue authorities were out to maneuver the ownership record of the land illegally at the behest of the incumbent government.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2021