Report sought on razing walls of Senator’s house

Senate panel on interior forms sub-committee to investigate the matter

ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel has formed a sub-committee to probe into the matter of razing the boundary walls of Senator Chaudhary Tanvir Khan’s house in Rawalpindi without any prior notice being served.

Senate Committee on Interior formed the sub-committee headed by Senator Rana Maqbool comprising Senator Talha Mahmood and Senator Sardar Shafiq Tareen to submit a report on the incident.

The committee barred the district administration from carrying out any kind of action in the area until the matter was resolved.

Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner (DC) Saifullah Dogar was present in the meeting while Tanvir’s son Barrister Danyal represented him in his absence.

The meeting of Senate Committee on Interior was held under the chairmanship of Senator Abdul Rehman Malik at Parliament House on Thursday.

Senator Muhammad Javed Abbasi of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) explained the entire matter before the committee. He said that teams led by Rawalpindi Assistant Commissioner (AC) razed the boundary walls of Senator Tanivr’s house on January 5.

The senator added that Tanvir was abroad for medical treatment and that his family did not receive any notice prior to the action.

Tanvir’s family remained confined inside the house as dozens of district administration staff and police personnel surrounded the residence with heavy machinery to conduct the operation on the night between Sunday and Monday, Abbasi said.

The senator’s house was searched without warrants, Abbasi said adding that the action was an example of political victimisation.

Abbasi said that he had made telephone call to DC Dogar but he did not pick it up. Dogar gave his unconditional apology for not taking the call.

Abbasi added that Senator Tanvir had purchased the land in 2006 which was transferred to his name. “Why an issue was raised on his property after more than a decade?” he asked.

The senator said that AC monitoring the operation, when asked why Tanvir’s house was being demolished even though he had all required documents, replied that he had orders from DC to do so.

The committee chairman asked DC, “Where is the AC now?” to which he replied that he was out of Rawalpindi. The committee summoned the official in the next meeting.

Malik was angry on the absence of Rawalpindi Development Authority chairman and asserted that he would be served with arrest warrants if he did not appear in the next meeting.

The committee chairman said he had sought answers of 12 questions from Punjab government and district administration over the operation at Senator Tanvir’s house.

Malik said he asked if the senator was issued any notice prior to operation, were his neighbours served notices too and whether legal formalities were fulfilled during the action.

DC Dogar maintained that the revenue department had earlier pasted notices on boundary walls of the houses along the related thoroughfare inscribing that the construction was illegal. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2020.