by 
The Supreme Court in its last hearing, intended to find a solution under the law in the cases relating to encroachment of forest and Shamlat lands by Bahria Town in the areas of Rakh Takht Pari in Rawalpindi, and Sulkhtar and Manga in Murree.
In this regards, Supreme Court issued notices to Forest Department, Government of Punjab as well as National Accountability Bureau (NAB),and adjourned the hearing until May 14.
The Punjab government has also been directed to submit report about the decision on land with record of Bahria Town, DHA and other societies.
A three-member implementation bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Munneb Akhtar, heard the Bahria Town Rawalpindi and Murree case.
Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, representing Bahria Town, mentioned other housing societies which also had encroached upon forest lands in Rawalpindi, like the Korang Town Housing Society, Airport Housing Society, CBR society, Police Foundation, PWD Housing Society, Doctors Colony, Media Town, etc.
Khwaja Tariq Rahim, another advocate of Bahria Town, however, informed the bench that some portion of DHA land also in Shamlaat land.
The AAG also accused Bahria Town of squeezing the banks of the River Korang.
On May 4, the Supreme Court in a majority judgement had held that the area of Takht Pari — 6km away from Rawalpindi near G.T. Road — encompassed 2,210 acres and not 1,741 acres. Therefore the exchange of land between Bahria Town and the Punjab forest department and the attestation of mutations were based on erroneous assumption about the area.
Likewise, in the case relating to 4,542 kanals of Sulkhtar and Manga (Murree) land, the court had held the land came under the category of Shamlat land and could be used only for limited purposes.
Meanwhile, Bahria Town also filed an application requesting that the case be disposed of as it was ready to settle the Takht Pari case by purchasing 684 acres or 5,472 kanals for Rs13.13bn in 60 quarterly instalments, the first instalment to be paid three months after the court accepted the offer.
The developer also requested the court to order ceasing of all on-going investigations by all agencies, including NAB, and also direct the agencies to refrain from further investigations.
The application said due to the development carried out by Bahria Town, the value of the land in the vicinity had gone up manifold which also provide a tangible monetary advantage to the government.
The standard of the development carried out by the Bahria Town stood established as being the highest international standard, the application said.
Join The Discussion