Expats demand action against land grabbers

The expatriates and locals of Islamabad have accused the police of alleged collusion with the land mafia in the occupation of their lands in the Shah Allah Ditta area.

At press conference held at National Press Club on Sunday, the victims, with most of them being overseas Pakistanis, said that their life savings were endangered due to the alleged connivance between Islamabad police and encroachment mafia.

They added that they bought around 250 kanals of land in Shah Allah Ditta between 2004 and 2008 and that they had all related documents.

A huge investment was done by overseas Pakistanis who had purchased plots in the area after years of hard work aboard.

However, the victims expressed that they have now been barred from going there while the police say that they should approach the court on the matter. They decried that their savings were at stake.

The victims warned that expatriates would stop making investments in Pakistan if such injustice continued.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2021.