ISLAMABAD: While land grabbing has become the most profitable business of mafias in Islamabad, the capital police have launched an operation against them.

The police requested the residents to report any such incident without delay so that prompt action could be taken against land grabbers.

It may be mentioned that not a single day goes without incidents of land grabbing or violent crimes related to land disputes in the city.

The citizens, especially retired employees and widows, not only lose their lifetime savings and entire wealth but they also have to run from pillar to post to get possession of their plots and lands.

The land grabbers, which are also called Qabza mafia, are more active in the rural areas of the city, or other than Zone 1, which are dealt by the Revenue Department of the district administration rather than the Capital Development Authority (CDA).

Moreover, land grabbing among housing societies and conflicts between two neighbouring housing societies over land has also become a routine.

A number of times, guards of housing societies used arms against each other, leaving people dead and injured.

During the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government, because of complaints from overseas Pakistanis, a separate category to deal with complaints related to land grabbing was included in Pakistan Citizen Portal (PCP).

However, a large number of affected people in the city could not use the portal due to their inability to use the app.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) (Operations) Syed Shahzad Nadeem Bukhari in a statement said land grabbing would not be tolerated and indiscriminate action would continue against those who illegally occupied others’ land.

He directed the officials to take prompt action on complaints of citizens and provide relief to them.

“Citizens are also requested to report any such incident to the police immediately,” he maintained.

Meanwhile, Sihala police on Sunday apprehended eight land grabbers during an operation, a police public relation officer said.

He said a grand operation against land grabbers was going on following the directions of Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Akbar Nasir Khan.

“Sihala police received a call from a citizen that some land grabbers and their operatives were trying to occupy his land. Upon receiving the information, the Sihala police immediately responded and

arrested eight suspects on the spot. The police also recovered two 9mm pistols, two 30-bore pistols, one 12-bore shotgun and one 22-bore rifle from their possession,” he said.

A case has been registered against the nabbed persons and further investigation is underway, said the DIG.

In another development, women police apprehended a suspected thief and recovered stolen Rs 1.4 million from her possession.

Published in Dawn, February 27th, 2023