AGP asked to hold inquiry against former chief secretary Punjab

A two member bench of the Supreme Court has directed Advocate General Punjab (AGP) to hold an inquiry against former chief secretary Punjab Kamran Rasool (presently working as chief secretary Azad Kashmir) and former district co-ordination officer Lahore Khalid Sultan as to why they ordered an illegal inquiry against owners of precious land.
The bench has asked AGP Khawaja Haris to submit his report after completing inquiry by June 24. Begum Latif was owner of 6 Kanal one marla evacuee land at Jail road through permanent transfers made in her favour in 1963. She sold the land in 1994 to Sajida Parveen and four others.
In May 2003, the new owners applied to Town municipal administration Data Gunj Bakhsh Town, for permission to construct multi-storey commercial building called Target Plaza. A high level committee had approved their building plan. Later district government raised a controversy about the title of Sajida etc and an inquiry was started by settlement commissioner. The matter landed in LHC where a single bench dismissed claim of Sajida and other but a division bench cleared their title pertaining to land in dispute.
Having aggrieved of LHC order, Punjab government through chief settlement commissioner moved in the SC which dismissed government's petition in April. Kamran Rassol had stated before SC that he ordered inquiry to Board of Revenue on the basis of detailed report from DCO who was principal officer of the district. Furthermore, extremely valuable property belonging to government was being claimed on doubtful documents.
Kamran further said he exercised his supervisory function under Rule 8 read with Rule 42(5) of the Rule of Business 1974. SC observed that rule 42(5) quoted by chief secretary had been deleted much before he purported to act. Likewise, SC also expressed dissatisfaction on the statement submitted by Kahlid Sultan, who was DCO at that time. SC had issued notice to both these top bureaucrats and directed its office to prepare separate files and fix the case in second week of June. The case was heard by two-member bench on Thursday and would resume hearing on June 24 in the light of inquiry report to be submitted by AGP.