News Desk |
The Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development collaborated with the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration in a clearance operation to recover 102 kanals in Valley Zone V belonging to the Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF) that had been illegally held since 1999.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Syed Zulfikar Bukhari oversaw the operation alongside Deputy Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat.
Immense step for resolving issues of Overseas Pakistanis.102 kanals of land worth Rs 1.2 Billion taken over after lapse of almost 20 years. Hats off to @mophrd for the bold initiative.More than 1000 overseas Pakistanis will benefit from this. FDI will shoot up In Sha Allah pic.twitter.com/0UH4u1g57O
— Office of Deputy Commissioner Islamabad (@dcislamabad) January 14, 2019
According to a ministry spokesperson, the valley, spread over 5,000 kanals, was approved in 1999 and 90pc of the allotments had already been made.
The concerned ministry will also ensure that the area is monitored so it cannot be occupied again. The retrieved land will be allotted to overseas Pakistanis based on merit.
The Special Assistant spoke to the press: “The writ of the state will be established at all costs and those involved in grabbing land belonging to Pakistani expatriates will be taken to task as per law.” He further added that the government will not tolerate any illegal activity. “In this regard, measures are being taken to avoid reoccupation of the state’s land by the mafia.”
Talking to a local press agency, Mr. Bukhari said that the Pakistani diaspora was constantly complaining about issues related to their grabbed properties in Pakistan and the complaints statistics had also confirmed this as a major issue being encountered by Pakistani expatriates.
Read more: CJP defuses ‘Mansha Bomb’: Orders returning land to real owners
Mr. Bukhari said the ministry had planned to establish the first-ever fast track court in the Federal capital to retrieve the expatriates’ properties from land grabbers. The court is aimed at providing instant relief to litigants as the number of such cases is increasing gradually.
“Accordingly, a summary has been submitted to the Ministry of Law and Justice to materialize the initiative during the current year”, he said, adding that the special court would be designed on a pattern to ensure disposal of cases within a period of one month after admittance of petitions. Mr. Bukhari assured that the court would be established after necessary legislation having full constitutional cover.
He said both the ministries– Over Seas Pakistanis and Law and Justice– would hold a joint meeting next week to discuss technical and legal problems being encountered by the overseas Pakistani in the judicial system and setting up of the fast-track court. Setting up of the fast-track courts would be taken as an initiative after which the similar courts would be set up in other cities, he said.
Read more: Margalla Hills engulfed in fire and illegal encroachment
Briefing the press about security measures for the retrieved land, Mr. Bukhari said that a boundary wall would be constructed around the valley and police pickets would be set up as well. The concerned ministry will also ensure that the area is monitored so it cannot be occupied again. The retrieved land will be allotted to overseas Pakistanis based on merit.