An investigation has been initiated against a patwari and other revenue officials in Rawalpindi over allegations of tampering with revenue department records and demanding bribes from a local businessman.
Shahid Yousuf, a businessman and real estate developer lodged a complaint with Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha and Anti-corruption Bureau Director Khalid Yameen Satti, stating that he owns approximately 300 kanals of land in the Katarian area and a few weeks ago, he approached the Patwari of the Katarian area situated in the Thalian constituency, to obtain his land records.
However, the patwari delayed the process for fifteen days, citing anti-corruption raids and office closures.
After persistent efforts, the patwari agreed to meet Yousuf at his home in the Girja area, where he demanded a bribe of Rs0.2 million. The complainant said he handed over Rs50,000 rupees to the patwari's assistant, Ishaq, who instructed him to contact him again.
After a week of struggling to obtain the land records, the patwari informed Yousuf that a portion of his land was inaccurately registered and needed to be corrected. The patwari claimed that the deputy commissioner would oversee the process, and the total expenses would amount to Rs5 million. Upon this, Yousuf decided to review the legal procedures and costs before proceeding.
Several days later, Patwari Yaseen reached out to him again, suggesting they could resolve the issue if he cooperated with them. However, the complainant suspected blackmail and refused the offer.
This disagreement escalated, with threats made against the real estate developer and his manager. On September 2nd, an employee of the tehsil office named Ashraf contacted the alleged victim, informing him of a notice issued by the patwari.
The notice incorrectly identified the businessman’s land, which did not exist in government records.
Yousuf reached out to Patwari Yaseen for an explanation, but Yaseen feigned ignorance and insisted that he only acted on the deputy commissioner's orders.
The patwari accused Rawalpindi's deputy commissioner of corruption too.
Furthermore, the complainant then contacted Naib Tehsildar Mirza Mansoor, who indicated that he had signed the mentioned documents and that all records were under the suspect's control.
To probe the allegations, the commissioner has appointed an additional deputy commissioner as the inquiry officer and sought a report within ten days.
Efforts to contact the Rawalpindi commissioner were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to queries.
However, Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema acknowledged that they were aware of the situation through a revenue officer's report and had halted any further actions regarding the land. He assured that a thorough inquiry was underway and emphasised that if any wrongdoing was established, strict actions would be taken against those involved. Hasan Waqar dismissed the allegations against himself as baseless.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 11th, 2023.
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