Court rejects request to unseal Lal Haveli

Accepts petition challenging cancellation of AML headquarters’ ownership registry

RAWALPINDI:

The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench Friday accepted a petition challenging the cancellation of the residence of Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s Lal Haveli's ownership registry and its subsequent sealing by Punjab Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB).

LHC Rawalpindi Benche’s Justice, Justice Chaudhary Iqbal summoned ETPB Chairman Asif Khan and Rawalpindi deputy administrator to appear on Tuesday, September 26, to provide a detailed report.

However, the court has rejected the immediate request to unseal Lal Haveli.

During the hearing, the legal team representing petitioner Sheikh Siddique, including Sardar Abdul Razaq and Sardar Shehbaz Advocates, asserted that Sheikh Siddique, the elder brother of the former interior minister, owns Lal Haveli.

They provided evidence that it was legally purchased in 1987, with the purchase records and registry available at the deputy commissioner's office. They emphasised that the cancellation of this registry by the ETPB chairman and the subsequent takeover of Lal Haveli was unjust.

Read Rashid’s Lal Haveli sealed again

The lawyers also pointed out that Lal Haveli had been sealed after an early morning operation and that the case was still pending in the high court. The ETPB had been granted time to submit a written reply but chose instead to cancel the registry.

The petitioner's legal team argued that allowing the cancellation of legal registries without justification could put the homes of politicians and their opponents at risk in Pakistan. They suggested that Lal Haveli, which holds political significance due to its association with the former home minister, was targeted as an act of political revenge.

They requested the immediate unsealing of all seven units within Lal Haveli.

The court, in response, declared that it would await the ETPB's reply before taking further action and issued a notice accordingly. The urgency of this petition led to its consideration by Justice Chaudhary Iqbal in the absence of Justice Jawad Hassan, who is scheduled to preside over the next hearing. Earlier on Thursday, the ETPB sealed Lal Haveli amid heavy presence of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) personnel and police.

According to sources, the ETPB officials conducted an operation in the early hours with a heavy contingent of police and sealed all the units of Rashid’s Pindi residence. Women police also took part in the operation while none of the party workers were seen on the occasion. The ETPB reclaimed the property on the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan as its team led by Deputy Administrator Asif Khan completely sealed the Lal Haveli without any hindrance in the early hours of Thursday.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 23^rd, 2023.