ISLAMABAD: A property dispute worth billions of rupees has emerged between Minister for Religious Affairs Talha Mahmood and his younger brother, Mohammad Haroon Mahmood.
Haroon Mahmood, who is also a partner in the family business, filed a lawsuit in the civil court, claiming that 12 industrial plots measuring five kanal each were transferred to Talha Mahmood in an alleged fraudulent manner.
Last week, Civil Judge Humera Afzal issued a stay order, preventing the onward transfer or sale of these plots until the case is resolved.
Haroon Mahmood named the sub-registrar of Islamabad, the Capital Development Authority (CDA) chairman, member estate, the federal minister, and his sons Mustafa bin Talha and Qasim bin Talha as defendants in the case.
According to Haroon’s counsel, Advocate Kashif Ali Malik, Haroon is a director of Pakistan Accumulators and holds the largest share in the company with a 50% stake.
The lawsuit states that the company owns 12 industrial plots in I-9/2, which were allegedly transferred to the minister through record tampering, cheating, fraud, and forgery.
It further mentions that the PAL Board of Directors had agreed to sell the company’s plots in the I-9 sector to boost its working capital. Haroon and Mustafa bin Talha were authorized to identify potential buyers.
The disposal of the properties was supposed to be approved by the Annual General Meeting (AGM) after obtaining the valuation of the assets from approved valuators.
However, the lawsuit alleges that the minister and his sons fabricated the minutes of a bogus Board of Directors meeting on April 7, 2023, where the federal minister himself was portrayed as a potential buyer.
According to the plaintiff, the original allotment letters were in Haroon’s possession while he was abroad, and the defendants transferred the plots based on photocopies.
Interestingly, the funds paid for the plots were drawn from another account of the same company, with the plaintiff claiming that “these amounts were then transferred and rerouted between the defendants for the purchase of the same plots.”
The lawsuit also mentions that the minister and his sons attempted to transfer six plots of the company located in the Hattar Industrial Area, but the process has been halted.
Haroon Mahmood has requested the court to reverse the transfer of the plots to the company.
The judge has issued a status quo order and postponed further proceedings until September.
Talha Mahmood, when contacted, described the dispute as minor and expressed his belief that it would be resolved outside of court, and hoped that his brother will withdraw the lawsuit soon.
Source: DAWN
