LHC adjudicates 30-year-long land litigation

After three decades of legal battles, the Punjab Government Servants Housing Foundation (PGSHF) has reclaimed 641 kanals and three marlas of state land from the grip of land mafia in Jhang.

Sources revealed that the Punjab government had allocated 1,598 kanals and 19 marlas of state land to PGSHF in 2019. While 957 kanals and 16 marlas were handed over promptly, the remaining 641 kanals and three marlas were locked in prolonged litigation.

The turning point came on May 6, 2024, when Justice Chaudhary Muhammad Iqbal of the Lahore High Court dismissed dozens of petitions filed by the encroachers.

Following this victory, PGSHF sought assistance from the divisional commissioner and deputy commissioner of Jhang to expedite the land's transfer.

PGSHF Managing Director Rai Manzoor Nasir emphasised the importance of this success.

"Decades of litigation by illegal occupants delayed the rightful allotment of plots to thousands of government employees. It is unacceptable that these land mafia elements, sometimes in connivance with government officials, deprived public servants of their basic rights," he said.

The PGSHF administration took action by dismissing two directors found complicit in aiding the encroachers.

"This sends a strong message that such malpractices will not be tolerated," Nasir asserted.

The deputy commissioner of Jhang was lauded for collaborating closely with PGSHF's Director Land, Asif Rehman, to retrieve the encroached land.

The foundation is now assessing the illegal profits made by the occupants over the decades, vowing to recover the losses.

Established in 2004, PGSHF operates on a no-profit, no-loss basis to provide shelter to Punjab government employees.

With over 144,000 applications received since its inception, the foundation has already provided housing or plots to more than 12,000 members.

Housing schemes have been developed in 13 districts, including Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Rawalpindi and Jhang.