Supreme Court on Monday sought comprehensive report from the government of Punjab pertaining to allegedly grabbed 1,205 kanals of land in Kasur district in league with district revenue authorities. The government of Punjab has taken initiative of land record computerisation in the province as Land Record Management Information Systems have been installed in all the districts but computerisation of land of some parts of tehsils is under way.
However, in areas where computerisation process has not been completed so far, patwaris, gardawars, naib tehsildars, and tehsildars are minting money from both hands, as their corruption has become a routine matter which, apparently, seems to be uncontrollable by revenue collectors in the province.
On Monday, resuming the hearing of bail applications of 19 accused including illegal occupants and official of Revenue Department Kasur district, a two-judge bench led by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Justice Dost Muhammad Khan sought the report in the matter.
The bench issued directives to the authorities concerned of the Punjab government to submit record of the grabbed 1,205 kanals of land in Ladhaykey area of district Kasur by allegedly relatives of former Collector of District Kasur, Aamir Aqiq.
Earlier, Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) had registered a case against Aamir Aqiq, former Personal Staff Officer (PSO) to Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, and 19 other officers and beneficiaries for their alleged involvement in land scam of 1,205 kanals, worth millions of rupees.
Aamir Aqiq is a DMG officer of grade-18 who remained posted at important seats in Chief Minister's Secretariat like PSO and deputy secretary. Director General ACE Abid Javed had received an application against Aqiq wherein it was revealed that the said officer was involved in making bogus allotment of 1,205 kanals of land in Kasur district during his posting there. The director general ACE ordered an inquiry into the matter where allegations were proved true on which the DG ACE sought approval from higher authorities of the Punjab government to register a case against the accused.
The DG ACE was given a go-ahead to register a case against Aamir Aqiq and 19 other officers and beneficiary civilians including, Revenue Officer Shahbaz Ali, naib tehsildar Sheryar, patwari Abdul Jalil, Sheikh Waseem, Aftab Khan, M Shafique, Abdur Rasheed, Abdur Riaz Khan, Salman Khan Manj, Arif Qadri, Rashid Ahmad Dogar, M Salim, M Ibrahim, Aslam Khan and Khalid Siddique.
After registration of the case, all the accused approached the Lahore High Court for interim bails which were cancelled during the last month, to which they invoked the apex court's jurisdiction for bail in the matter. Appearing before a two-judge bench of Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan and Justice Dost Muhammad Khan in the bail matter, former judge and Attorney General for Pakistan Abdul Qayyum Malik said his client Aamir Aqiq was not involved in grabbing the land. After hearing the arguments in the case, the bench issued directives to prosecutor general Punjab to submit detailed reply along with revenue record within a week. Later, hearing of the matter was adjourned till January 09, 2017.
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