ISLAMABAD: The capital police have responded to court directives by registering five cases related to land grabbing.
According to sources, the cases were filed following the refusal of the police to entertain complaints from the aggrieved party, who subsequently approached the court.
The registered cases pertain to attempts at land grabbing in the Shah Allah Ditta area.
The complainants, residents of Islamabad named Sajila Naeem, Shaheen Akhter, Urooj Khan, Mahnoor, and Asma Akbar, alleged that their land was targeted for grabbing in January and April.
After the police initially declined to register the cases, the complainants sought relief from the district and sessions court under Section 22-Q of the CrPC.
As the police still failed to register the cases, the court reissued its order, instructing the police to act according to the law.
Consequently, on June 2, 10, and 11, the police finally registered the cases against the alleged land grabbers.
According to Mohammad Azam Akbar, a relative of the landowners, the land mafia has been active in the area since January.
They have made repeated attempts to seize land owned by 47 families, including dual nationals.
Akbar claimed that the land grabbers, with the presence of the police, used an excavator to demolish structures on over 40 kanal of land on January 14.
Despite at least 18 owners lodging complaints, the police initially refused to register the cases.
On April 18, another attempt was made to grab the lands owned by Akbar’s siblings and nieces, prompting separate complaints from the owners. However, the police once again refused to register the cases.
In response to the complainants’ petitions, the Additional Sessions Court West ordered the Golra police on May 18 to record the petitioner’s statement under Section CrPC 154 and take appropriate action.
A revenue report was also prepared, which confirmed that the property belonged to the complainants while the land grabbers had no ownership rights.
Mohammad Azam Akbar and his sister, Asma Akbar, shared that the Golra police officers cited senior command directives as the reason for their inaction against the land grabbers.
When contacted, In-charge Police Public Relations Branch DIG Headquarters Awais Ahmed directed inquiries to DIG Operations Syed Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari, who was unavailable for comments.
Source: DAWN
