ISLAMABAD - Deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif illegally allotted thousands of acres of Waqf property attached to shrine of Hazrat Baba Farid-ud-Din Ganj Shakkar in Pakpattan during his tenure as Punjab chief minister, the Joint Investigation Team’s report submitted in the Supreme Court on Tuesday revealed.

The report submitted also recommended criminal proceedings against Nawaz Sharif.

Director General (DG) Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Hussain Asghar submitted the JIT report on the matter regarding shops of a plot of 17 marlas owned by Dewan Ghulam Qutub-ud-Din of Pakpattan Shareef.

The report stated that former Punjab chief minister, in the presence of judicial orders by the Court of District & Sessions Judge Sahiwal and Lahore High Court, had no authority to pass the directions in contradiction with these orders and hence it was clearly misuse/abuse of powers adding that the then chief minister is fully responsible for this lapse.

The report added that Dewan Ghulam Qutub-ud-Din and his legal heirs have sold out major portion of land illegally and hence may be proceeded against in accordance with the law.

It is further submitted that although the Chief Administrator of Auqaf/Secretary Auqaf appointed Assistant Manager Waqaf Property Pakpattan to manage and maintain the same in accordance with law but the latter did not take any action in this regard and hence the Assistant Manager and his upper officers are fully responsible for this lapse as no action whatsoever from December 17 of 1969 to August 28, 2016 was taken by any officer of Auqaf Department.

Dewan Ghulam Qutub-ud-Din Sajjada Nasheen who was a matwali of the shrine, in the garb of notification dated August 28 of 1986, issued in compliance of chief minister’s Directive, sold out land himself and later on after his death his heirs sold out 12091 Kanals of land unlawfully through mutations, the report added.

These mutations are required to be reviewed and land may be retrieved in the favor of Auqaf Department, it further submitted adding that the revenue field officials including patwaris, Qanungos, Tehsildars and concerned officers are also responsible for these illegalities.

The report further recommended that criminal proceeding may also be initiated against other delinquents including ex-Secretary to CM Punjab Syed Javed Iqbal Bukhari, legal heirs of Dewan Ghulam Qutub-ud-Din’s Sajjada Nasheen Darbar, the then Assistant Administrator Auqaf and other concerned officers and officials of Auqaf Department and Patwaris, Qanungos and Circle Revenue Officers and other relevant officers of the area where these irregularities and illegalities were committed.

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar while heading a three-judge bench, warned that the top court may direct for registering a case adding that if an investigation is launched then no one will be able to save themselves.

The bench directed the Punjab Government and deposed Sharif to submit their reply on the JIT Report within two weeks.