No relief: Petition over withdrawal of state land dismissed

The CM allotted 223 acres of state land to some Sahiwal residents in 2004

LAHORE: Dismissing a review petition regarding the withdrawal of state land allotted to some citizens in Sahiwal, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court remarked on Wednesday that the court would consider restricting the powers of the Board of Revenue and the government with regard to allotment of state land.

Justice Saqib Nisar, who was heading the bench, said the court would consider ending the power vested in any government official to allot state land. Nisar asked how could the chief minister allot state land and observed that President Barrack Obama of the United States of America was not authoritsed to allot a single kiosk.

Muhammad Siddique of Sahiwal had said in his petition that the chief minister had leased 223 acres of state land to some citizens in 2004. He said the Revenue Department had cancelled the lease and taken over the land to develop a housing society. Siddique said the government had not provided alternative land to residents in lieu of the leased land.

He said the Lahore High Court (LHC) and the SC had dismissed petitions filed by these citizens. Siddique asked the bench to review the earlier decision saying that the Revenue Department did not have the power to withdraw land allotted by the chief minister. He also called on the bench to order the government to provide those affected by the development with alternative land.

The bench including Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry and Justice Umar Ata Bandial dismissed the petition following the completion of arguments.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2015.