Rawalpindi: The National Responsibility Office (NAB) presented on Tuesday two corruption references against the Malik Riaz Property Magnate, his son Ali Riaz, former Punjab Prime Minister, Chaudhry Parvez Elahi, and others on the supposed illegal occupation of Government lands in Rakh Takht Pari and New Murree.
The references, presented before the Court of Responsibility in Rawalpindi, accuse Malik Riaz of illegally acquiring 4,500 kanals of state land in New Murree for Bahria Golf City and Takht Pari Forest Area.
In the new case of Murree, NAB has appointed Mr. Riaz, his son, the official of the city of Bahria, Shaukat Rauf and officials of the Department of Income for allegedly incorporating state lands, including the properties that belong to the Forest Department and Villages Mangah and Salkhetar premises and other surrounding villages. – In the residential project of Bahria Golf City.
The researchers affirm that the invasion was facilitated through collusion with officials of the income and forest departments. A total of 28 individuals have been accused of corruption, fraud and improper appropriation.
The case comes from a 2016 request presented in the Supreme Court, which ordered NAB to investigate the illegal occupation and the construction of forest lands. After years of investigation, NAB has now formally submitted the reference in the Court of Responsibility.
The second reference refers to the alleged occupation of 684 acres in the city of Bahria in Rakh Takht Pari and 732.5 acres in the forests of Loi Bher.
Takht Pari, located six kilometers from Rawalpindi near GT Road, covers a total area of 2,210 acres and was transferred to the forest department on August 4, 1856.
According to a Punjab government report, the land consists mainly of natural shrub forests dominated by Phulai and Sanatha Bushes, without a previous classification of private holdings (mainly Shamlat, a term for the land owned by a community and used for its benefit ).
In May 2013, the then coordination officer of the Rashid Mehmood District and the Divisional Forest Officer (South) Ijaz Ahmed informed the Supreme Court that in 2011, the city of Bahria had allegedly used the police and the Islamabad rangers for prevent a Forestry Department of Demark Lands in Takht Pari. The management was also accused of arresting officials for several hours and invoking section 145 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which prohibits illegal assembly.
The lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan, who represents Malik Riaz in the Supreme Court, defended the businessman citing his charitable work, even providing medications to disadvantaged and food to those in need. However, the court, while recognizing the philanthropy of Mr. Riaz, commented that his case fell within the proverbial saying: “Rob Peter to pay Paul.”
Posted in Dawn, February 19, 2025
