Encroachment: Land auction announced despite LHC order

Several families currently living on the 82 acres of land owned by the Irrigation Department.

DERA GHAZI KHAN: In spite of the Lahore High Court (LHC) Multan Bench’s restraining order the Dera Ghazi Khan district government on the orders of the Punjab government has fixed the date of January 26 for the auction of 82 acres of land in Moza Pir Adil.

Several families are currently living on the 82 acres of land owned by the Irrigation Department and the government wishes to remove them. “Our families have been living here for the past 90 years,” said Muhammad Bilal. Local residents have gotten a retraining order from the LHC Multan Bench but the district government has still issued a date for the auction of the land.

On Monday, Moza Pir Adil’s Katchi abadi residents led by former naib nazim Pir Adil Saifullah Gadi, Muhammad Rafiq Khan, Muhammad Bilal Gormani protested against the government policy and demanded that the auction be cancelled.

Saifullah Gadi former nazim Pir Adil said that the auction on January 26 must be stopped or the people would continue to protest.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 25^th, 2011.