Expat yet to get back land from grabbers

LAHORE:An overseas Pakistani submitted an application to the Overseas Pakistanis Cell-LHC against a Qabza mafia and another two applications to the Overseas Pakistanis Commission Punjab, Lahore, but to no avail.

Overseas Pakistanis Cell-LHC was established to take care of various aspects of the cases of Overseas Pakistanis, including illegal possession of their properties in Punjab or any threats thereof, an inordinate delay in decision of cases, frauds regarding properties purchased by them, inability to pursue their court cases from abroad and hurdles to employing counsel, a webpage in the existing official website of Lahore High Court to be created for dissemination of objectives of the Cell, extending information to the overseas litigants regarding the current status of their cases and its functioning parameters and an online web portal to be developed to address the queries of the overseas litigants in this connection to the extent of Lahore High Court, Lahore.

Overseas Pakistani Shehryar Khan was kidnapped, subjected to torture and threatened by a qabza mafia to illegally possess his two plots in the names of his parents in the month of May 2020. He informed the Overseas Pakistanis Cell-LHC about his miseries at the hands of land grabbers on 7th June and submitted two applications to Overseas Pakistanis Commission Punjab, Lahore, to get redressed his grievances, but none of them responded. Muhammad Azam Khan, who has been living in the UK for the last 15 years, and his elder son Muhammad Shehryar Khan, who came from Europe, visited the site of two plots in the names of Azam Khan and his wife in F Block Johar Town on 27th May, 2020, for the purpose of measurement. A man named Muhammad Nadeem approached them with his armed accomplices, including Sheikh Muhammad Sajjad, his son Abdul Qudoos Sajjad, son-in-law Jawad Hussain Adil (who pretended to be a civil judge in Islamabad at the time of the incident) and Danish and claimed ownership of the plots. On which, Shehryar asked them to show proof of ownership of the plots if they were the owner. One of the land grabbers Jawad Hussain Adil, brother of a senior police officer, introduced himself to be a civil judge in Islamabad. Sheikh Sajjad asked Shehryar to accompany him to his office so that he could show papers.

When they reached Sheikh Sajjad's office located at Johar Town Motors Club, the accused locked Shehryar Khan inside the office. Muhammad Nadeem and Sheikh Sajjad's son Abdul Qudoos Sajjad started abusing and torturing him. Both warned him that he would be killed if he dared to visit the site. Jawad Hussain Adil said that he himself is a civil judge and his brother Kamran Adil holds a high position in Islamabad police and the other brother belongs to a banned organisation, so if you love yourself, don't turn to plots again. He showed a fake affidavit and said that more papers would be sent on 1st June, 2020. The accused released Shehryar Khan after two-hour long illegal confinement.

On 2nd June, Shehryar Khan returned to his plots at around 2pm and found all the persons mentioned above were already there and labourers were digging the plots. On which Shehryar Khan called the police emergency 15. As soon as the police arrived, all the land-grabbers fled the spot and the police arrested the labourers who were digging on the spot. After the incident, Shehryar Khan filed two applications against the accused persons at Johar Town police station on the basis of which a case was registered under Sections 342/506 PPC on 27th May, 2020 and another case was registered under Sections 149/147/511/448 PPC. According to the victims, they are receiving life threats from the accused. “What a city is this where wealth earned by hard work of the overseas Pakistanis is looted and influential people commit bullying and roam free despite the registration of FIRs. The prime minister always tells the overseas Pakistanis that they are an asset to the country but perhaps the PM does not know that this asset is being deprived of their lands and properties, Shehryar Khan remarked. Shehryar said that in such a situation where overseas Pakistanis are sending valuable foreign exchange to their homeland while their capital is not safe here, then how can a foreign investor make investment here, and how will stay safe from these influential fraud groups.

The investigating officer called the culprits on 5th June at police station and SP Investigation Sadar called the land grabbers on 6th June at his office, but they paid no heed in this regard. The investigation officer of Johar Town Investigation police did not appear before the court of Additional Sessions Judge on hearings on 15th and 18th June. He appeared before the court on 19th June. Next hearing will be on 25th June in connection with the interim bails of the land grabbers. Two accused were on interim bails and the remaining four culprits, including Jawad Adil, Sheikh Sajjad and Danish did not apply for interim bails. Ironically, the Lahore police seem to have no intention to touch the remaining culprits who are continuously threatening the complainant of dire consequences on the premises of the courts and by other means.

The land grabbers have filed a petition in the court to quash the FIR registered against them on the complaint of Shehryar Khan. The petition of the land grabbers based on a fake tenant deed with a man Noor Muhammad living in a makeshift house on the property of Shehryar with his will. However, Noor Muhammad had recorded his statement before the IO Johar Town on 9th June that the land grabbers managed to take his thumb impression on blank papers to make the deed. The first hearing on the petition of the land grabbers will be on 7th July.