LONDON: A British Pakistani family from Birmingham has complained to Overseas Pakistanis Commission Punjab that their land worth tens of millions of Rupees has been taken over fraudulently by three men with powerful connections.
Overseas Pakistanis Commission Punjab confirmed that it has received a complaint from Hamzah Afzal, of Edgbaston on Birmingham, and his father Nisar Afzal of the fraud and embezzlement on their lands in District Rawalpindi’s Rajar Tehsil after officials of the land record of Revenue Estate conspired with three men to forge the land record and transferred the land to their names.
The complainants, who have also filed an application before the Director General of Anti-Corruption Lahore (Punjab), have alleged that three persons namely Almas Abbasi s/o Mohammad Aslam; Haq Nawaz Abbasi s/o Kudadad Khan; and Raja Shahid S/o Raja Bashir in connivance with each other and with the official of land record committed the fraud of forgery.
Hamza Afzal and Nisar Afzal have complained that the three persons forged the land record in order to grab and embezzle the land. The applications from Hamza Afzal says: “Upon the application filled by my father before the Anti-Corruption an inquiry was conducted. The authority gave the opportunity to both sides to prove their stance. The accused persons filed a Writ before the Lahore High Court, Rawalpindi Bench, which was subsequently disposed off with direction to complete inquiry on merits. The Authority sent the documents/land record in question for forensic and astonishingly the stance of the complainant was proved to be forged.”
The complaint reads: “The Authority registered a criminal case vide FIR 13/22 dated 18-05-2022 against the nominated accused persons and Naib Tehsildar and Patwari of concerned Revenue Estate at that time U/S 420, 468, 471,409, of PPC and 5(2) of PCA 1947. During the inquiry which was conducted by Anti-Corruption Lahore, the complainant revealed that the alleged accused persons are habitual fraudsters and they are involved in many such types of criminal cases. The accused Almas Abbasi was a driver by profession in the Government Transport Service (GTS) having a poor family ground but now his assets were unnaturally raised to the sky without any such type of legal trade or business. The accused Haq Nawaz Abbasi was a General Secretary of Pakistan Muslim League (N) and holds a public office at the time of committing a fraud as a Nazim of the Union Council. In the same way Raja Shahid has only an illegal Bus-stop in Faizabad, Islamabad but their assets were growing only by cheating and defrauding the innocent citizens and due to corruption as well.”
The complaint said: “The accused persons, said the complaint, also grabbed the petrol station of the complainant, an overseas Pakistani, by taking advantage of his absence from Pakistan. During the inquiry it was further revealed that the accused persons have criminal record in the twin cities (Islamabad-Rawalpindi). It came on the record that alleged accused persons are part and parcel of groups of grabbers and Mafias having the backing of political parties. It came to the record that another FIR No. 13/18 dated 19-05-2018 was also registered against the accused persons by the same complainant in the Police Station of Federal Capital Margalla, the said application was filed by complainant and entertained by the ADCR (Islamabad) and after the detailed inquiry conducted by the ADCR, he ordered for of Registration of criminal case against them. Moreover, many such types of criminal and civil cases were pending before the Honorable courts. The complainant and an overseas Pakistani filed 13 suits against the accused persons in civil court of Gujar Khan which was decreed in favor of overseas Pakistani Nisar Ahmed Afzal against the alleged accused persons.”
In their complaint to the Vice Chairman, Overseas Pakistanis Commission Punjab, the complainants have requested the government of Pakistan to take necessary measures to ensure justice for the overseas family.
Nisar Afzal lives in Pakistan but his son Hamza Afzal has informed the Overseas Pakistanis Commission Punjab that he has come to the UK after facing death threats from the accused. He has written in the complaint: “I have come to the UK to avoid being attacked by the accused who have threatened to kill me and my family. My father remains in Pakistan and his life is in danger at the hands of the accused who don’t want us to raise the issue of land grabbing in courts or in the media. We have heard that you have always stood up for overseas Pakistanis and we need your help in this matter.”