Retired professor seeks action against ‘land mafia’

PESHAWAR: A retired professor on Saturday asked the authorities concerned to provide him justice by taking action against the land mafia.

Speaking at a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, Akbar Khan Afridi asked the Chief Justice Supreme Court, Prime Minister Imran Khan and chief minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to probe as to why a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MPA and the officials of Peshawar Development Authority (PDA) were supporting the land mafia. Akbar Khan Afridi said the powerful land mafia was also violating the verdict of the Peshawar High Court. He appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan for establishing citizen portal and the local police for their quick action on his application but now the members of land mafia were active again with the support of MPA and the PDA officials. Showing the documents of his property, he said that he owned agricultural land amounting to 480 kanal leased. He added the Meteorological Department had secured the land from his father on lease and an agreement had also been signed. “The illegal plots of land were sold out and accessed through tour private passage, he said, adding, they were peaceful citizens and had no option but to move the court of law.

“We were informed that PDA is going to asphalt the said road, so we went to the department and informed the deputy director PDA Fazle Ghaffar. We even provided the relevant documents at that time and he was convinced,” he said.

He alleged that the director general PDA and secretary Local Government Department acted like puppets and ignored the legal protocols and started asphalting their private passage.