RAWALPINDI: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday filed two corruption references against property tycoon Malik Riaz, his son Ali Riaz, former Punjab chief minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi and others over alleged illegal occupation of government land in Rakh Takht Pari and New Murree.
The references, filed before the Accountability Court in Rawalpindi, accuse Malik Riaz of unlawfully acquiring 4,500 kanals of state land in New Murree for Bahria Golf City and Takht Pari forest area.
In the New Murree case, NAB has named Mr Riaz, his son, Bahria Town official Shaukat Rauf and Revenue Department officials for allegedly incorporating state-owned land — including property belonging to the Forest Department and local villages of Mangah and Salkhetar and other surrounding hamlets — into the Bahria Golf City residential project.
Investigators claim the encroachment was facilitated through collusion with officials from the Revenue and Forest departments. A total of 28 individuals have been charged with corruption, fraud and misappropriation.
The case stems from a 2016 petition filed in the Supreme Court, which directed NAB to investigate the illegal occupation and construction on forest land. Following years of inquiry, NAB has now formally filed the reference in the accountability court.
The second reference pertains to Bahria Town’s alleged occupation of 684 acres in Rakh Takht Pari and 732.5 acres in Loi Bher forests.
Takht Pari, located six kilometres from Rawalpindi near GT Road, spans a total area of 2,210 acres and was transferred to the Forest Department on Aug 4, 1856.
According to a Punjab government report, the land consists mostly of natural shrub forest dominated by Phulai and Sanatha bushes, with no prior classification of private holdings (mostly shamlat, a term for land that’s owned by a community and used for its benefit).
In May 2013, then-District Coordination Officer Rashid Mehmood and Divisional Forest Officer (South) Ijaz Ahmed informed the Supreme Court that in 2011, Bahria Town had allegedly used Islamabad police and Rangers to prevent a Forest Department team from demarcating land in Takht Pari. The management was also accused of detaining the officials for several hours and invoking Section 145 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which prohibits unlawful assembly.
Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, representing Malik Riaz in the Supreme Court, defended the businessman by citing his charitable work, including providing medicines to the underprivileged and food to the needy. However, the court, while acknowledging Mr Riaz’s philanthropy, remarked that his case fell within the proverbial saying: “Rob Peter to pay Paul.”
Published in Dawn, February 19th, 2025
