ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the Punjab government to get hundreds of acres of Koray Khan Trust land in Muzaffargarh vacated from the land mafia.
Sardar Kauray Khan Jatoi had bequeathed 83,000 kanals of land for the welfare of the people of Muzaffargarh District but the land was being mismanaged by the government officials.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal said that if the government departments did not vacate the land then they should pay land price to the trust.
As per details, sports ground, animal hospital, police station, telephone exchange, basic health unit, assistant commissioner office, tehsil complex, government boys high school, colleges and judicial complex in Tehsil Jatoi has occupied about 380 kanal land.
The apex court in November 2016 had directed the Punjab government to recover the Kauray Khan Trust land from land mafia by January 5, 2017.
The bench directed the additional advocate general, Punjab, to submit report about vacating 275 acres of Koray Khan land at the next date of hearing.
AAG Razaq Mirza informed the court that 594 houses, constructed on the trust land, had been razed and 572 kanals of land had been recovered.
He said that Sardar Koray Khan tomb would be refurbished, adding that 275 acres of land would be vacated.
The court on the assurance of the provincial government adjourned the hearing till May 8.
Earlier, the petitioner, Muzaffar Magsi told the court that Koray Khan had donated land for the poor family and one-third portion of it was allocated for setting up schools and a health centre.
He said that the administration had done nothing for the education of children of the area.
Magsi prayed to the court to order the provincial government to recover the land from encroachers.
He further prayed that the court order the Food Department to deposit income from the crop on Koray Khan Evacuee Trust land.
