Encroachments on graveyard lands: Continue operation, retrieve land: PHC

Team constituted to probe the alleged involvement of Auqaf and revenue officials.

PESHAWAR:

Peshawar High Court (PHC) has ordered the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and revenue officers to continue operation against encroachers and recover graveyard land occupied illegally.

The court issued instructions to the K-P director general anti-corruption to constitute a team to probe whether Auqaf and revenue officials were helping the encroachers following complaints that officials were also involved in the corrupt practice.

The court ordered the anti-corruption department to book all those found involved in the practice. Such people should be brought before the court so that they are tried against helping encroachers acquire the graveyard land, said the PHC division bench hearing the case.

The bench comprised PHC Chief Justice (CJ) Dost Muhammad Khan and Justice Khalid Mehmood. The petition, filed by Arsalan Pasha, alleges that encroachers have occupied the graveyard land “gifted” by the Auqaf department.

During the case hearing on Tuesday, Lakki Marwat deputy director revenue informed the bench that that a man named Faqeer Muhammad Riaz was found in possession of an eight-kanal graveyard land. However, the revenue official added that Riaz had agreed upon providing alternate land to the graveyard.

The local residents, however, objected, saying that Riaz has been misguiding the court. The piece of land that he has pledged for the graveyard is actually disputed, said a local.

The bench issued a show cause notice against Lakki Marwat deputy commissioner for submitting a wrong statement in the last hearing saying that there had been no encroachment on graveyard land in his jurisdiction.

CJ Khan observed that government schools, health units and even funeral sheds were constructed upon the graveyard land in Charsadda, Mardan and other cities, adding more than 1,500-kanal encroached graveyard land has been recovered.

Auqaf Secretary informed the bench that a total of Rs20 million have been provided for raising boundary walls around six graveyards in Peshawar and three graveyards in Hangu.

The bench directed K-P chief secretary to constitute a committee and work out a proposal so that the boundary walls around all the graveyards and funeral sheds are constructed. This will help keep the retrieved land safe. The bench also directed the Auqaf secretary to contact secretary finance for further funds.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 30^th, 2013.