Ojrhi Camp land dispute nears settlement

After nearly forty years of litigation in lower courts and the high court, a longstanding dispute involving Ojrhi Camp land has finally moved towards resolution as both parties expressed willingness to settle the matter out of court within one month.

The Lahore High Court's Rawalpindi Bench disposed of the pending petitions accordingly.

Nearly fifty years ago, 259 kanal and 3 marla of private land was acquired for defence purposes near the Ojrhi Camp, prompting the owners to pursue legal action against the concerned authorities.

The landowners have refused to accept the previously assessed value of Rs2.30 billion, demanding that the valuation be recalculated according to current market rates as well as the DC and FBR rates.

According to case sources, petitioners Ghazala Hussain and Malik Muhammad Abbas — represented by their lawyers Sardar Muhammad Ghazi, Ahmad Raza Kasuri, and Sheikh Najam — challenged the acquisition on the grounds that the land's value had not been properly assessed.

In 2014, the concerned departments conducted an assessment and fixed the value at Rs 2.30 billion, which the owners rejected for not reflecting the relevant official and market benchmarks.

The court was informed that the amount remains with the MIO and Land Acquisition Collector as owners have refused to receive it.

After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Jawad Hassan ruled that since the parties agreed to resolve the matter outside court within a month, the petitions were disposed of on that basis.