Kahuta tehsil’s merger with Murree district opposed

Residents vow to challenge integration in high court

RAWALPINDI:

Residents of the Kahuta Tehsil have challenged the decision to incorporate its Hothla Union Council into the Kotli Sattian Tehsil of Murree, calling it unjustified and uncalled for.

According to sources, former Union Council Chairman Raja Amir Mazhar has formally contested the decision before the Punjab Board of Revenue senior member.

Moreover, Senior Attorney Sabatin Bukhari Advocate has also announced to contest this decision before the Lahore High Court’s Rawalpindi Bench next week.

This union council is also the native village of former federal minister Dr Babar Awan. According to Raja Amir Mazhar, certain elements have started attempting to incorporate the strategically located union council into the Kotli Sattian Tehsil of the Murree district without any legitimate constitutional or legal reason. He said Hothla Union Council is a very sensitive location and is a no-fly zone. It is also situated around 50 kilometers away from Kotli Sattian, he added.

In contrast, he contended that the Kahuta Union Council Municipal Committee is barely two kilometres away and the Election Commission of Pakistan has also designated this area as a ‘plain area’.

He added that therefore, it cannot, under any circumstances, be merged with the Kotli Sattian Tehsil. “There will be a strong opposition against this decision as an appeal has been made to a Senior Revenue Board member.”

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2023.