HYDERABAD: Owners of a plot in Umerkot, Syed Habibullah Shah and his brother Ali Hyder Shah, have said that they were the legal owner of the property and a civil court had ordered restoration of possession in their case.

They said that police complied with the court’s orders after a long litigation spanning over almost three decades to retrieve the land but possession was still not restored to them. They said plot’s possession should be handed over to them.

Speaking at a news conference at the local press club on Sunday, they said members of the Solangi community had occupied the plot since 1998 when it was property of one Alam Palli. Palli had sold the plot to their father in 1998 and the total area stretched over around 10,640 sq ft.

They said that initially the Solangis had occupied 2,000 sq ft and they occupied the entire plot over the last several years although their family was engaged with them to secure possession. They said the Solangis had approached different forums, including the Deputy Commissioner office, to get the issue decided.

They said that their father Hussain Shah was pursuing the matter and after his death in 2017 they followed it. They informed that the Solangis had also filed a suit which was dismissed in 217. They said that a suit filed by their mother Ms Janal Bibi was decreed by Senior Civil Judge-I in 2022 and against which the opponents had filed an appeal which was dismissed.

They said that they, being the plot owners, filed an application for implementation in 2024 which was allowed on Feb 24. They said the Solangis had also filed a case before the Sindh High Court which was dismissed.

They said that police had acted on the court’s order for securing possession to them, but the Solangis remained adamant. They said that possession of the plot was still not restored to them because the Solangis were still occupying it.

They also criticised PTI leader Lal Malhi for not gathering facts in the matter and siding with one side of the party i.e. Solangis. They said that he should have approached their family because they had been fighting a legal battle since 1998.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2026