RAWALPINDI - Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi bench Tuesday rejected the application of real estate tycoon, Malik Riaz Hussain, filed against his arrest warrants issued by an anti-corruption court (ACC) in 1401 kanals of land scam. LHC Rawalpindi bench including Justice Ibad-ur-Rehman Lodhi and Justice Malik Shehzad Ahmed dismissed the plea challenging the arrest warrants issued by the Anti-Corruption Court on July 23, 2012.
Riaz in his petition, filed through his counsel Dr Basit Advocate, pleaded that the Anti-Corruption Court has no authority for issuing arrest warrants after the legal battle between the Anti-Corruption Establishment Rawalpindi and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) over the issue of which agency would investigate the alleged land grabbing case.  He added that issue of jurisdiction of either investigation agency should have been referred to the Supreme Court of Pakistan as the matters involve the federal and provincial government as well.
LHC Rawalpindi Bench Justice Ibad-ur-Rehman Lodhi and Justice Malik Shehzad Ahmed, while setting aside the petition, remarked that in the application tendered by AC Establishment Rawalpindi against NAB for trying to take over the investigation of the case of purchase of 1401 kanals of land on forged document, the LHC had also refrained both the investigating agencies from any action till final disposal of the petition. However, the LHC did not stop Anti Corruption Court from hearing the case. It is pertinent to mention here that Anti-Corruption Court Rawalpindi Judge had repeatedly issued arrest warrants for Malik Riaz Hussain, his son Malik Ahmed Ali Riaz along with other accused after the AC Establishment Rawalpindi said that substantial evidences were available against them to occupy 1401 kanal of land in Rawat using CNICs and other documents. AC Establishment Rawalpindi along with Civil Line police officials went Islamabad to handcuff the property tycoon but Islamabad Police did not cooperate with the raiding team rather first took them to police station and then escorted them back to Rawalpindi. On this, Anti Corruption Court Judge issued show cause notices to Senior Superintendent of Police SSP Islamabad Malik Yusaf. Now, after shelving the application of the petitioner by LHC Rawalpindi Bench, AC Establishment Rawalpindi may put chains in the hands of Malik Riaz Hussain any time for grabbing 1401 kanals of land near Rawat by using fake CNICs and other documents.