Lahore High Court (LHC) has issued a notice to the government and a private educational institute on a petition seeking action against the authorities for constructing a dual carriageway in Raiwind in violation of a stay order.
A former minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Ishaq Khan Khakwani had moved the petition. He has challenged the acquisition of private land alleging that the government wants to build the road for the Raiwind campus of a private university. He said the court had passed an injunction in 2010 on several petitions by owners of the land in Tarogill and Janjatay villages. He said the government had acquired the land on a lower than market price.
Khakwani said the authorities had resumed construction of the Rs70 million road in 2013. He said Adviser to the Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Policy Affairs Sartaj Aziz had used his links with the Punjab government to construct the road. Aziz had been vice chancellor of the university until he was made adviser, the petitioner said. He said the road had been built not for public welfare but to promote the university.
He said the market price of the land was Rs2 million a kanal but the government had paid the landowners Rs0.6 million a kanal. He requested the court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the authorities.
Justice Aminuddin Khan has asked the respondents to submit their reply by May 14.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 1st, 2014.