Tando Allahyar revenue officials accused of forging land record

KARACHI: A major land record forgery scandal has surfaced in district Tando Allahyar, allegedly involving senior revenue officials accused of tampering with official documents, issuing forged certificates, and unlawfully transferring more than 54 acres of valuable agricultural land in Deh Dassori, Taluka Jhando Marri.

According to the official documents reviewed by The News International, the disputed land originally belonged to late Haji Ali Muhammad Arain, a local landowner of Tando Allahyar. The property was legally transferred to his heirs in 2007 and later mutated under entry numbers 70 and 87 in 2015 and 2016, granting possession to his son, Ashraf Ali Arain.

However, between 2021 and 2023, revenue officials allegedly manipulated records and issued unlawful mutations through fictitious partition orders, despite civil court stay orders and directives from the Sindh Ombudsman’s Hyderabad office. The forged entries reportedly involved multiple survey numbers, including 208/1, 198/2-3, 194/3-4, 197/4, 179/1-4, 168/3-4, and 169/1-3.

Advocate Zahid who is also one of the complainants before Sindh ACE, claimed that Deputy Commissioner Noor Mustafa Leghari approved several disputed transactions despite pending litigation and objections from legal heirs. He blamed that Assistant Commissioner Umair Jarwar, Mukhtiarkar Shabir Mirjat, and Tapedar Mashooq Lund allegedly supervised and attested fake entries, ignored verification protocols, and failed to produce original mutation files when questioned by higher authorities.

The inquiry report suggests that possession certificates and partition orders issued during this period were fabricated to show fictitious ownership in favour of one co-sharer who never appeared before any court or revenue forum.

Heirs of Haji Ali Arain have lodged formal complaints with the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) and the Board of Revenue, demanding criminal proceedings against the involved officers for abuse of authority and forgery. They have also requested the Sindh Chief Secretary to suspend the accused officials and restore the original land records.

Officials of the Anti-Corruption Establishment confirmed to The News that initial evidence, including certified copies of mutation registers and attestation records, indicates manipulation of land records under the supervision of AC Jarwar and Mukhtiarkar Mirjat, in violation of multiple court orders.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Noor Mustafa Leghari strongly denied the allegations, terming them “entirely baseless and unfounded.” He maintained that all revenue officers in the district were performing their duties transparently and in accordance with the law.

“Property and inheritance disputes often create misunderstandings among family members,” Leghari said, adding that the matter is sub judice before the competent court of the Additional Commissioner-I Hyderabad.

He reiterated that the district administration remains committed to transparency and the rule of law in all revenue affairs. However, AC Jarwar and other revenue officials despite of many times calling, sending messages at their WhatsApp numbers and reminders and waiting for five days plus, did not respond till the filing of this news story.