Protest against graveyard ‘land grab’ in Nowshera

NOWSHERA: The residents of Amangarh and Pirpiai areas here on Sunday staged a protest against the land mafia who allegedly leveled graves at the Sheikh Abdul Ghafoor Baba graveyard and built houses there.

Chanting slogans, the angry protesters demolished the boundary walls of the houses that were allegedly built on the land of the Sheikh Abdul Ghafoor Baba graveyard. The protesters said that the members of the land mafia had leveled the graves and built houses there. The people also attacked the alleged ringleader of the land mafia but he managed to escape from the spot. The protesters were led by former councilor Shaukat Nazeer, Kifayatullah, Asadullah Khan and other notables of Amangarh and Pirpiai areas. They demanded the government to take action against the members of the land mafia who encroached on the land of the graveyard with the connivance of the Revenue Department officials. The protesters said that the graveyard was spread of an area spanning over 81 kanals out of which 58 kanals had been occupied by the land mafia.

The residents said that the members of the land mafia leveled the graves overnight with the connivance of the officials of the Revenue Department.