Sialkot ‘Gurdwara’ land reclaimed after 77 years

SIALKOT: In a significant operation supervised by the Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Muhammed Iqbal Sanghera on Friday, a historic Gurdwara (Sikh worship place) regained legal possession of an 8-kanal-18-marla piece of land that had been illegally possessed by land mafia for about 77 years.

The plot reclaimed was a pond located within Gurdwara Babey Di Beri at Zafarwal Road.

The unauthorized occupants had obstructed access to the pond and turned it into a cattle barn. The Municipal Officer, officials from the anti-encroachment department, personnel from the revenue and the police collaborated in the operation.

It was reported that some houses constructed at the place would also be demolished soon if their current owners failed to prove legal ownership.

The Gurdwara is 400 years old while the adjoining pond was constructed during Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s era and the local land mafia had grabbed it after the partition in 1947. This piece of land would now be handed over to the Auqaf Department.