SC announces verdict in 100-year-old property dispute case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan announced verdict in a 100-year-old property inheritance case that started in the court of Rajasthan, India, in 1918.

The case revolves around a dispute over the inheritance of 5,600 kanals of land in Khairpur Tamiwali tehsil in Bahawalpur district that was transferred to the Supreme Court from trial courts in 2005.

During the hearing, Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar said the property should be distributed among the heirs under the Islamic law. He added the court will not deprive anyone of their legal share. As per the complainants, the property belonged to their elder, Shahabuddin, who died in 1918, after which the case was taken to the courts and has been going on since then.

There are thousands of cases, including those pertaining to land disputes, pending in courts of Pakistan for decades. According to legal experts, the number of such cases cannot be brought down until amendments are introduced in the Pakistan Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code and the evidence act.