Villager blames PTI leader’s company for grabbing land worth millions

ISLAMABAD: A villager from the suburbs of Lahore has come up with all the documentary evidence explaining a painful ordeal which establishes occupation of his land by Vision Developers, owned by senior PTI leader Aleem Khan.
The villager was defrauded by Vision Developers through a dealer by taking possession of land after paying some advance and promising to pay the rest of the amount after three months at the time of registry.
For three long years, nobody has paid a single penny and land remained occupied. After three years, when land value was almost doubled as compared to the originally agreed price, Vision Developer’s dealer got the land registered in 2008 by paying some more money and by giving a fake cheque amounting Rs11.2 million which was bounced.
The poor villager again started a long battle to get his drowned money but police cooperated with the powerful. The land price had become more than three times the amount for which he originally sold his land but he was unable to get even the original amount.
Subsequently, Vision Developers, after hue and cry from different circles, repeated requests and daily visits of villager Haji Nazir Ahmad, gave him five cheques each amounting Rs500,000 in five installment in 2010 and 2011 (copies of cheques seen by The News and acknowledged by Vision Developers) but then once again refused to pay the major part of agreed amount (originally agreed in 2005) which was in tens of millions.
Vision Developers in its response to The News pressed one major point that it never dealt with land owners directly and always purchased land from dealers.
Aleem Khan’s staff referred The News to Faraz Chaudhry who is Aleem’s brother-in-law and a key player in Vision Developers. Faraz Chaudhry told The News that when Vision Developers needs land for starting any of its projects, it never deals with land owners directly and acquires land through dealers. He said any cheques issued by Vision Developers was never bounced in history.
Haji Nazir Ahmad agreed to sell his 71 kanal 18 marlay (approx. 9 acer) land situated in Phularwan village near Barki Road Lahore at the rate of Rs4.8 million per acer to Vision Developer’s dealer Hamid Sarwar. Haji Nazir was paid Rs15,000,000 and possession of land of was taken from him on the promise that as land is not being registered in name of buyer party so rest of the amount will be paid within three months at the time of registry and land transfer.
Neither any amount was paid during three months nor Haji Nazir was contacted for the registry of land. It was apparently because the powerful players of land business don’t even need registry and only believe in possession. After repeated contacts by Haji Nazir and his long struggle, Vision Developer’s dealer Hamid Sarwar agreed to pay him after passing of three years in 2008 but at that time price of land in the area had become almost double.
Haji Nazir and his fellows demanded for payment on current market rate in 2008 (which was between Rs7 million to Rs7.5 million per acer in 2008) but they were threatened and Hamid Sarwar “agreed to” pay only Rs5 million per acer. In fact, this was also a deception.
Haji Nazir was asked to get the land transferred in the name of Hamid Sarwar and was paid another Rs15,000,000 and was given a checque (No-956708, Account No-13771-3, MCB Bank, Al-Faisal Town Lahore Cant Branch dated January 15, 2008, the account was of Hamid Sarwar) amounting to Rs11,200,000 (rupees 11.2 million) and was again made a promise that he will be paid Rs4,800,000 later on.
Haji Nazir agreed to register the land in name of Hamid after receiving money and cheque. However, the cheque was bounced. On query, MCB informed Haji Nazir through a letter that the cheque belonged to a closed account.
Haji Nazir moved an application in Police Station Shumali Chaooni where Hamid Sarwar stated that his cheque book containing this cheque was stolen. He was confronted by Haji Nazir that if his cheque book was stolen and they were carrying a cheqe amounting Rs11.2 million of the same cheque book then why he was not complaining or proceeding against them? Hamid Sarwar had full support of authorities and police never proceeded against him.
However, Haji Nazir never gave up and started visiting Hamid Sarwar daily as his land was his only source of income. As the pressure mounted, Hamid Sarwar referred Haji Nazir in his ‘head-office’ to Aleem Khan and Faraz Chaudhry, the owners of Vision Developers. Haji Nazir again spent two more years requesting Aleem Khan to pay hi his amount but was always denied.
He met Aleem Khan and Faraz Chaudhry several times and continued requesting them through his frequent visits. Finally, Aleem Khan agreed to pay him but in installments of Rs500,000 each. Haji Nazeer was given five cheques (details of cheques mentioned in questionnaire sent to Aleem Khan and is given below) in 2010 and 2011 in five installments and then he was denied any further payment.
Haji Nazir, 55, was unable to make more efforts as he was threatened to not to visit the Thokar Niaz Baig office of Aleem Khan again. The land of Haji Nazir was handed over to DHA by Vision Developers after the registry process was complete. Later this land was bought by one Paragon City.
Faraz Chaudhry, while talking to The News, said that Vision Developers has nothing to do with land owners and the company never purchased any land from Haji Nazir. The bounced cheque was not of Vision Developers. He maintained that cheques issued by Vision Developers never bounced in history of the company.
Every big property group never purchases land directly from the land owners and always tries to purchase it through a middle man. They used to indirectly harass the land owners who refuse to sell their lands. Faraz Chaudhry was correct that his company hasn’t directly purchased land from Haji Nazir and that the bounced cheque was not issued by Vision Developers.
He was also true that cheques issued by Vision Developers were not bounced. However, Vision Developers made a simple mistake in this case by issuing Haji Nazir five cheques of Rs500,000 each. Faraz Chaudhry had no answer to the question that for what purpose these cheques were issued in the name of Haji Nazir when Vision Developers never purchased land directly from land owners.
The News sent following questionnaire to Aleem Khan and Faraz Chaudhry on official email faraz@cinestar.com.pk. Faraz Chaudhry confirmed receiving questionnaire but restricted his response to above stated statement.
“Respected Aleem Khan Sahab/Faraz Chaudhry Sahab
AoA,
Refer our telephonic conversation about non-payment of some Phularwan village (Barki Road) lands, I will be thankful if you can respond to following questions;
Q-1)- Whether Aleem Khan Sahab and you (Faraz Chaudhry Sahab) remember (or can check/verify) following accounts numbers were maintained by Vision Developers Pvt Ltd and payments were made to mentioned person through the five cheques (cheque numbers specified) on given dates (Copies of cheques attached with email)?
Account:1 (two cheques)
Account No- 0003-2000486003 in SILK BANK (Main Branch Lahore)
Cheque No-1532200 dated: September 07, 2010 amounting Rs500,000 (rupees five hundred thousand only) issued to Mr Nazir Ahmed (Attached with this email as ANNEX-1) & Cheque No-1902749 dated: October 22, 2010 amounting Rs500,000 (rupees five hundred thousand only) issued to Mr Nazir Ahmad (Attached with this email as ANNEX-2)
Account: 2
Account No- 01000101009262 in Askari Bank (Johar Town Branch, Lahore)
Cheque No-52316147 dated: December 27, 2010 amounting Rs500,000 (rupees five hundred thousand only) issued to Mr Nazir Ahmad (Attached with this email as ANNEX-3)
Account:3
Account No- 0252-01875032 in Bank Alfalah (EME Society Branch, Lahore)
Cheque No-0022647 dated: February 15, 2011 amounting Rs500,000 (rupees five hundred thousand only) issued to Mr Nazir Ahmad (Attached with this email as ANNEX-4)
Account:4
Account No- 0252-1002389511 in Bank Alfalah (EME Society Branch, Lahore)
Cheque No-0035571 dated: April 25, 2011 amounting Rs500,000 (rupees five hundred thousand only) issued to Mr Nazir Ahmad (Attached with this email as ANNEX-5)
2)- Can you please share the details of business transaction for which payments were made to this person Mr Nazir Ahmad through cheques mentioned in Question-1?
3)- Whether Aleem Khan Sahab ever purchased any chunk of land directly or through any dealer in Phularwan village situated near Barki Road Lahore between the years 2004 to 2008?”
There are hundreds of other such cases but poor victims who lost their lands don’t have proper evidences. This case is just tip of the iceberg and needs attention of NAB which otherwise spares powerful and mighty and only focuses on weaker and smaller targets. There are many Haji Nazirs in the area, mostly poor and illiterate, who have been defrauded by different land business groups but there is no one to help them as there is a quota of plots for every segment of society in these housing towns. Another aspect is that mostly such people do not maintain evidence at times of such transactions. Haji Nazir was lucky to get five cheques from Vision Developers which has exposed a big scam. Investigations into the scam can lead to many other similar cases and disclosures.