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Pak gurdwaras land sale
continues despite protests
WSN Network
 NANKANA
SAHIB: After many protests and even demands of intervention from the
Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, the Sikh community was given an
impression that the sale of gurdwara lands in Pakistan has come to a
stop after high decibel protests. Now, it has come to light that the
story is more complex than the question of just one piece of land
belonging to Dera Chahal gurdwara.
Sikhs affiliated
with the Nankana Sahib gurdwara have conveyed that Syed Asif Hashmi,
Chairman Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB) and Khurram Siddiq have
been violating rights of Sikhs in
Pakistan
by sale of their religious lands for their own benefits only.
Mohinder Singh
of Nankana Sahib said in a statement that while Hashmi and Siddiq
did affix banners on Badian Road Lahore Cantt., stating therein that
ET Land of Dera Chahal Gurdwara has not been sold to Defence Housing
Authority (DHA), Lahore, they are still silent about the sale of
land owned by Gurdwara of Mauza Lidher and Samadh Bhai Maan Singh
urf Jawala Singh measuring 544 Kanals sold to DHA on 6 June 2009
through sale deed number 4904 before sub-registrar Lahore Cantt.,
and mutation number 16108 and 16109.
Similarly, land
measuring 350 kanals owned by Gurdwara Nawa Kot situated in Moza
Mota Sigh owned by Gurdwara Nawa Kot and Gurdwara Babe Nanki has
also been sold to DHA by Chairman against residential plots for his
own benefit.
It is also very
alarming that all it has been done within few days. Also it is
intimated that the land of Sikhs has been sold in many cities e.g.,
Karachi, Multan, Sahiwal, Pakpatan and Lahore for the sake of
payment of Rs. 50 crore to a firm High Living Associates, Islamabad
and remaining Rs. 50 crore is still to be paid.
About three
hundred kanal land of Surjani, Karachi has been sold to Zafar-ullah
Faridi for Rs. 70 crore. Although the matter has been taken up in
suo motu by the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Zafar-ullah Fridi is
still raising unauthorized constructions on the site with the help
of Asif Hashmi, Chairman ETP Board.
The Sikhs have
demanded that the construction on the land thus sold should be
stopped till the final decision of the court. All Evacuee Trust
property sold by the illegal board constituted by Asif Hashmi
against rules and policy has also been challenged in Lahore High
Court through a writ petition by Muhammad Ashraf, Ex-Board Member vs
Chairman ETPB,
Lahore.
Earlier, Dr
Pritpal Singh, president, American Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (AGPC),
had taken up the matter with the President and the Prime Minister of
Pakistan to stop the sale of land to Defence Housing Colony,
adjoining the Bebe Nanki Sikh shrine. The SGPC president Avtar Singh
had also urged PM Manmohan Singh to stop the sale of land for
housing purpose.
5
August 2009
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