The Lahore High Court said on Wednesday that the Pakistani army seems to have become the "biggest land grabber" over illegally occupying lands belonging to others. Lahore High Court Chief Justice Mohammad Qasim Khan also said that the army had grabbed a plot of land owned by the High Court.
The court made these observations while hearing petitions by three individuals who had taken farming land on lease from the Evacuee Trustee Property Board (ETPB). The ETPB counsel told the court that the three petitioners were the rightful owners of the land.
Justice Khan also said that he will direct the registrar of the Lahore high Court to write a letter to the chief of the army staff.
The Dawn newspaper reported the Chief Justice as saying: "The way the army occupies the properties of people is nothing but land grabbing." The court heavily criticised the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), a wing of the Pakistani army that usually employs retired army officers and provides housing to army officers and their families.
In January this year, the court had noted that the DHA was involved in another scam along with the police that related to plots for the families of martyrs. At that time the Chief Justice had said: "You people are trying to grab the land meant for the minorities.”
The court also said at that time that the ETPB land cannot be sold or purchased. It could only be leased out by the organisation.
The remarks have not gone down well with the powerful Pakistani Army. DHA counsel Altafur Rehman Khan asked Justice Khan on Thursday to expunge the remarks made by him a day earlier in which he had said that the army is the biggest land grabber. The DHA counsel said that the remarks by the Chief Justice against the army have caused concern. He said: "The court is requested to delete the remarks about the army."
Responding to the counsel, the Chief Justice said that his remarks were about the conduct of "some people of yours. Probably, more than half of my family is in the army."
He further elaborated by saying: "If retired individuals of the army will come and do wrongdoing in DHA then the army will be discredited. When a person becomes part of an institution then they will be held accountable", the Chief Justice said.
