‘Give us back our land’

14.5 acres of land and two rest houses illegally occupied by Rangers, claim CDA officials.

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) is gearing up to reclaim 22 acres of land occupied by Punjab Rangers on Margalla Hills.

Talking to The Express Tribune, CDA Spokesperson Ramzan Sajjid said that under the federal government’s directives, Punjab Rangers were given 7.5 acres of land on Margalla Hills (near Pir Sohawa), but the Rangers expanded their boundry walls to occupy over 22 acres of land in the area without the permission of CDA.

Sajjid said the law enforcement agency had illegally occupied over 14.5 acres land near Saidpur village, a cultural spot of the city. He added that the Rangers had also occupied two CDA-owned rest houses in Pir Sohawa, for which they refused to pay rents. Sajjid said a CDA Board member recently visited Margalla Hills and Saidpur village and then compiled a detailed report in this regard.

Deputy Superintendent Rangers (DSR) Major Bhadar Khan, heading ranger officials in Islamabad said, “We have no interest in CDA’s land, we have only made temporary arrangements in the area to accommodate 2,000 personnel who are performing duties in the city.” He added the law enforcement agency had built four boundary walls around the area to ensure security to its personnel.

Khan said that Rangers were called to the federal capital to provide additional security during times of unrest.

Sajjid said that CDA had complained to higher Ranger officials about the issue but received no response. However, DSR Bahadar Khan denied this and said that CDA officials have not directly contacted the agency about the issue. Sajjid said that CDA had decided to approach the prime minister directly about the illegal occupation of land by Rangers.

Deputy Director General Environment, Malik Aulya Khan, confirmed that rangers were deployed in the federal capital following directives of the federal government. He said, “It is unfair to criticise the Rangers who are performing their duties in such a hostile environment.”

Published in The Express Tribune, October 28^th, 2010.