MNA surrenders valuable plot

Court disposes of case describing the allotment of land as illegal.

ISLAMABAD: Member National Assembly Hamid Yar Hiraj, respondent in the case of a disputed land in diplomatic enclave, surrendered his right to the plot on Thursday. Islamabad High Court (IHC) disposed off the case after validating the petitioner’s concerns.

The plot measuring 26.5 kanals had been earlier allotted to the MNA by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) in violation of the authority’s bylaws, for the purpose of running a school.

Hiraj, who is also Chairman Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), told the court through his lawyer that he had surrendered the plot that was allotted to him two years ago.

The petitioner in this case Shabnam Ashraf, who is the principal of Preparatory School Islamabad, through her lawyer Naeem Bokhari, maintained that the land was allotted to chairman ERRA in violation of CDA bylaws.

However, the lawyer to CDA, Barrister Masroor Shah, told the court that the authority had advertised for the lease of 19 plots in the capital for building schools.

“The plots were given to the applicants after due consideration. The petitioner has an allotted plot in sector D-12 by the same process,” he said

Later, CDA’s lawyer, while talking to the media said that the court had also cancelled Ashraf ‘s plot in sector D-12. However, he claimed that CDA would “re-advertise the lease of 19 plots and conduct the whole process in a transparent manner”.

Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan disposed of the case after the MNA surrendered his plot. Earlier it was referred to the IHC by the Supreme Court on January 13 to settle the dispute within two months.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 11^th, 2011.