SC directs Rangers to vacate building in two months

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday directed Pakistan Rangers to end the illegal occupation of the Agriculture Research Department building within two months and issued notices to the Punjab chief secretary, Interior secretary and Rangers deputy inspector general in this regard.

A three-member SC bench consisting of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Chaudhry Ijaz Ahmed and Justice Ghulam Rabbani was conducting suo motu action on the illegal occupation of two acres of land and Punjab Agriculture Department building by Rangers in Rahimyar Khan. The court also directed the Rangers that the department should not block the road in a village of Rahimyar Khan district.

Rahimyar Khan residents, through an application, informed the court that the Rangers had blocked a road and illegally occupied the Punjab Agriculture Department Building, causing inconvenience to the residents and the staff of the Agriculture Department. The residents complained that Rangers had illegally occupied the building 15 years ago and were running a school inside it.

The CJP told the Rangers representative that the department should have acquired the land from the department concerned instead of illegally occupying it. Rangers representative Major Fakhar informed the court that Rangers had acquired the land from the Interior Ministry and the Punjab government and was now running a school in the building for the children of the area. Justice Ijaz inquired that whether he had written proof of the occupation. Major Fakhar replied in negative, on which Justice Ijaz remarked that the federal government had no authority to occupy the land of the provincial government and vice versa. Deputy Attorney General Mazhar Chaudhary stated that they were trying to settle the matter amicably and requested the court to grant some time for settling the issue. The court adjourned the hearing of the case for two months.