Pakistan Army rebuked as 'biggest land grabber'; Lahore HC says uniform is not for ruling

In a rare event, the Lahore High Court on Wednesday reprimanded the Pakistan Army, calling it the “biggest land grabber" in the country. Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Mohammad Qasim Khan, during the hearing of a land grabbing case said the way the Army occupies the properties of people is nothing but land grabbing.

"The Army seems to have become the biggest land grabber in the country. The uniform of the Army is for service and not to rule as a king," he said.

The bench was hearing petitions of three citizens seeking an order against the Army’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) to not occupy the land they had obtained on lease from the Evacuee Trust Property Board.

Lamenting that the Army had also grabbed a piece of land owned by the High Court, Justice Khan said that he would direct the HC registrar to write a letter to the Chief of the Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa on the issue. He added that the Corps Commander of Lahore could be summoned to verify the land grabbing facts.

Lahore HC slams Pakistan Army

The Army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 70 plus years of existence, had earlier gained considerable power in several matters of security and foreign policy. The court observed that the Army had an attractive post-retirement welfare plan for its personnel, which lacked in other institutions like police and judiciary.

“Is it only the Army that makes sacrifices? Do other institutions like the police, lawyers and judges not make sacrifices?” the chief justice asked. Justice Khan said that no one has ever refused to file a response in his court during his 11-year stay in the Lahore HC.

On a separate question, the counsel for the housing authority states that retired Army officers work in the DHA, but its administrator was a serving officer. The chief justice directed the DHA administrator and Lahore police chief Ghulam Mahmood Dogar to appear before the court.

Justice Khan asked Dogar to leave the job if he could not take any action against the land grabbing by the DHA. He ordered the police officer to lodge an FIR if he received any application against the DHA.

(With inputs from agency)