Shahzad Ahamd

LAHORE - The police on Sunday submitted a report to the Supreme Court at its Lahore Registry detailing its performance regarding the properties it retrieved from grabbers and restored to owners.

The report was submitted to a two-judge apex court bench, which was headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar.

The police submitted the report in pursuance of orders of the apex court in human rights cases/applications. The police report says prompt action was taken and directions were complied with in letter and spirit.

The report says 422 human rights cases were received, 49 applications were found false, compliance was made in 311 cases, partial compliance was made in 62 cases and 54 first information reports were registered. It says 18 houses worth Rs81 million and 1321.5 kanal agricultural land worth Rs510 million were restored to owners.

The police recovered Rs27.5 million in cash and returned to 18 applicants, it says. The police also restored plots measuring 78 kanal worth Rs3,500 million to owners, it claimed. Thus, total worth of all properties restored is approximately Rs4,200 million or 85.30 percent of total cases received.

Hearing a suo motu case against Mansha Khokhar, notoriously known as Mansha Bomb, the chief justice directed the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) and the Punjab Revenue Department to submit land details in the Mansha Bomb land grab case.

He ordered the LDA and Revenue Department to submit details of the land grabbed by Mansha Bomb. The District Commissioner of Lahore told the court that the LDA had yet to hand over the land retrieved from the accused to owners.

On the Supreme Court’s order, Mansha Bomb was presented before the court in handcuffs. He requested the apex court to forgive him but his apology was not accepted.

Earlier, the top judge had directed the authorities to hand over the land retrieved from the grabber to the owners. He had reprimanded the deputy inspector general (DIG) by saying, “The police of Naya Pakistan should be ashamed as they defend gangsters. Cannot this police even control Mansha Bomb?”

Mansha Bomb was arrested at the Supreme Court during his first appearance after he went into hiding to avoid arrest in LDA team attack case.

Talking to media, Mansha had claimed innocence and said he had inherited the properties in question from his father. He said that cases against him were politically motivated as his son was contesting election for the seat of union council chairman on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) ticket.

Mansha hails from Lahore and allegedly ran a large land grab ring in Johar Town area of the metropolis. He was wanted by the law enforcement agencies in over 90 cases of land encroachment, firing at the police, murder and attempted murder.

On October 15, 2018, Mansha Bomb, wanted for occupying the land of overseas Pakistanis, was arrested on the Supreme Court premises. He was wanted in more than 70 cases of land grab in Lahore’s Johar Town. He had arrived at the apex court to surrender and get pre-arrest bail.

On the other side, Mansha Bomb denied land grab accusations, saying, “I own the land inherited from my father.”

PROTESTS OUTSIDE SC

LAHORE REGISTRY

Protests were staged outside the Supreme Court’s Lahore Registry on Sunday. The protesters wanted to meet Chief Justice Saqib Nisar but the police did not allow them to enter the apex court building.

The police had to use force to disperse the protesters, including several women, many of whom tried to enter the court premises. When they weren’t allowed to enter the building, they started protesting outside the court. Several had to be physically blocked by female police officers in riot gear from entering the court premises.

A number of groups reached outside the registry so as to speak with the top judge. Most of them were victims of land grabbers such as Mansha Bomb, PML-N MNA Malik Afzal Khokhar and Malik Saiful Malook who are residents of Johar Town.

A family of the protesters said that their property had been grabbed by Sarfras of Defence after making of fake and forged documents. They said the land grabber was so influential that he could easily get his illegal tasks done from police and administrative officers after greasing their palms.