Khokhars, others booked in land grabbing case

LAHORE: The Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) has booked the Khokhar brothers and others in a multimillion land grabbing case on Tuesday. In a new reference moved by the Sheikhupura deputy commissioner to the Punjab ACE DG, a case has been registered against Afzal Khohar, Saiful Malook Khokhar, Aqeel Hussain, Muhammed Siddique and revenue officers for illegally grabbing and fraudulently transferring over 1,025 kanal state land to people, including 829 kanals and 13 marlas to the Khokhar brothers.

In its reference, the Sheikhupura DC said that Aqeel Hussain, Jamil Hussain and their mother Kaneez had managed the transfer of 1,025 kanals and seven marlas of state land in the area of Shaho Ki Mallian, Sheikhupura district, fraudulently in their names in connivance with Naib Tehsildar, Girdawar and Patwari concerned.

They transferred land measuring to 829 kanals and 13 marlas to the Khokhar brothers in 2003, through exchange deed numbers 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1970. However, no land is shown or registered in revenue record for which 829 kanals and 13 marlas were exchanged, which shows that it was a bogus exchange deed to avoid government taxes. The remaining 190 kanals and 14 marlas out of 1025 kanals and seven marlas were transferred to Basheer Ahmed, Muhammed Siddique, Sooba and others. The parties involved not only illegally grabbed the federal government's land but fraudulently got it transferred to others, causing a huge loss the public exchequer.

Commenting on the matter, the ACE DG said that the land had been reclaimed and the revenue department was directed to calculate and collect penal rent from the benefices.