CJP scolds Punjab police for failure to rein in land mafia

LAHORE   -    “Is this Naya Pakistan’s police which cannot control land grabber Mansha Bomb,” Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Saqib Nisar asked the Punjab Police while hearing a suo motu case against the land grabber on Saturday.

Heading a two-judge bench at the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry, the chief justice rejected a report submitted by DIG Operations Waqqas Nazir and reprimanded the Punjab Police for not returning the land retrieved from the grabber to the affected people.

“Is this Naya Pakistan’s police?” he remarked. He said that the police should be ashamed of such acts. They are hurled verbal abuses but still defend gangsters, he said and added that police could not control one Mansha Bomb.

“You connive with the gangsters. Is this how you are safeguarding the law?” he asked. The DIG informed the bench that the police arrested Mansha Bomb and Khadim Hussain Rizvi. “We are implementing court orders in letter and spirit,” he said. The CJ then questioned the DIG, “What is your relation with Mansha Bomb? Why are you defending him?” The former told the latter, “You will not go back in your uniform if proved guilty.” He said the court was summoning Mansha Bomb, Afzal Khokhar, Karamat Khokhar all others involved in this case.

He then ordered that Mansha Bomb be brought from the jail to court. He directed the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) to present a report by 12 midnight after handing over possession to the rightful owners of the land.

Meanwhile, the court replaced the civil judge assigned to cases pertaining to overseas Pakistanis on receiving a complaint. The plaintiff of a case told the top judge that Civil Judge Noor Mohammad treated him rudely but behaved with Mansha Bomb and his counsel courteously. At this, the top judge summoned the civil judge to his chamber and later relieved him of the suit.

Chief Justice gave one-week time for Lahore deputy commissioner to return to the rightful owners the land recovered from alleged land grabber Malik Mansha Ali Khokhar — widely known as Mansha ‘Bomb’.

On October 15, 2018, Mansha Bomb, wanted for occupying the land of overseas Pakistanis, was arrested from the Supreme Court premises. He was wanted in more than 70 cases of land grabbing in Lahore’s Johar Town, he had arrived in the apex court to surrender and get pre-arrest bail. On the other side, Mansha Bomb has denied the land grabbing accusation, saying “I own the land inherited from my father.”

An anti-terrorism court has also ordered the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to block the CNICs of land mafia chief Mansha and his four sons and also reissued non-bailable warrants for them.

 

 

 

 

The writer is member of staff and can be reached at shazadma@gmail.com

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