Christian cemetery land row triggers action

Clerk dismissed; notices issued to former society officials; inquiry ordered

RAWALPINDI:

Following strict action and the initiation of an inquiry by the Senate Standing Committee on Minorities Affairs into the alleged disappearance of land allocated for a Christian cemetery in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, departmental action against those responsible has also been launched.

The Section Officer Cooperatives and Circle Registrar have separately initiated inquiries into the matter and accepted all written complaints and applications regarding the disappearance of the cemetery land for hearing.

Notices have been issued to former president of the Roman Catholic Christian Cooperative Society Tariq Sultan and Assistant Registrar Sehar Fatima, directing them to appear before the court on September 30 along with their replies.

Meanwhile, Section Officer Fayyaz Ahmed has taken separate notice of the matter and directed the Registrar Cooperative Societies Punjab to complete the inquiry within seven days, recover all allegedly embezzled funds and submit a report.

Clerk Muneeb has also been dismissed from service with immediate effect over the complaints and unsatisfactory response.

The applications seek an inquiry into the alleged misappropriation of land allocated for the Christian cemetery, construction of a three-storey house by the former president on the cemetery land, issuance of an NOC for construction of a plaza on the cemetery site, collection of heavy fees for plot transfers, alleged manipulation of funds and examination of relevant bank records.

They also seek disclosure of the layout plan of the street leading to the cemetery and the complete record of the cemetery land. Roman Catholic Christian Cooperative Housing Society president Sarfraz Francis Wicky and Qalb Aftab filed applications and cases against departmental irregularities, which have been accepted for hearing by the Circle Registrar.