Illegal possession of property

[Lahore_Real_Estate]

Saturday, June 05, 2010
Bureau report

PESHAWAR: The court of an additional district and sessions judge on Friday allowed more time to the local police to complete inquiry into alleged illegal occupation of property by a leader of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and former federal minister and his sons.

The court presided over by Khalid Khan directed the station house officer of the University Town Police Station to complete the investigation considering the relevant documents placed on record by the complainant. The court was hearing a complaint filed by a social activist, Nazli Sardar, under the Illegal Dispossession Act.

The complainant has charged a former federal minister and leader of the PPP, Malik Waris Khan Afridi and his sons Zafar Afridi, Abid Afridi and Asif Afridi of illegally taking possession of her bungalow situated on Abdarra Road in the upscale University Town area. She claimed she was away from home when the respondents took possession of the premises by force on Oct 3, 2009. The respondents had refuted her claim stating that they were bonafide purchasers of the said property. They added when they had purchased the property the complainant was not having its possession.

Subsequently, the court had directed the SHO of the University Town Police Station to report on the matter. The offiacial reported that illegal dispossession had not taken place. Advocate Tariq Khan Afridi appeared for the complainant and placed on record various documents including copies of judicial record to prove that the possession of the bungalow was with the complainant at the time of occurrence. He contended the SHO had ignored the said record and submitted a one-sided report to the court. The court inquired from the SHO why he had ignored the relevant record in his report. The official requested the court for some time so that he could compile the report in the light of the said documents.

The complainant alleged she had also sent written complaints to the provincial inspector general of police and the Peshawar capital city police officer but they ignored her pleas because the respondents were influential persons. The complainant’s counsel placed on record the documents related to a civil dispute pending between the complainant and her stepmother, Shamim Sardar, contending that it proved that she was having possession of the said property.

Tariq Afridi also produced copies of an agreement between the complainant and a Non- Governmental Organization whereby the latter was given the said property on rent. Furthermore, he produced various utility bills in support of his contention. He added two telephone connections installed by the PTCL in the name of the complainant remained operational till the respondents took illegal possession of the property.

The counsel stated a diploma awarding educational institution was also opened at the same premises by the complainant and later an organization by the name Delta Association was set up there which was duly registered with the Social Welfare Directorate. The complainant also presented copy of a writ petition earlier filed by a known ophthalmologist Dr Mustafa Iqbal in the high court against the complainant regarding some construction work on the said property.