LAHORE, July 20: Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that crackdown is being launched on qabza groups for retrieving private and government land from illegal occupants.

The chief minister said that action would be taken against the land mafia without any discrimination and cases would be sent to special courts so that people could get immediate relief.

He also announced forming two task forces -- one would review legal aspects while the other would decide the course of action against qabza groups.

According to a handout, the chief minister was presiding over a meeting wherein the chief secretary briefed him about the action to be taken against the land mafia. MNAs, MPAs, the senior Member Board of Revenue, Punjab IGP, the LDA director-general and other senior officials were present.

The chief minister said that qabza groups had become a menace in the last eight years under the patronage of police and other departments.

“We will have to work as a mission for curbing this curse. If we fail to exterminate the land mafia the people will ask us what relief has been provided to them”, he said.

He said: “We will have to work with dedication for providing rights to the people and no negligence will be tolerated in this regard”.

Mr Sharif said that advertisements would be published in newspapers against qabza groups while seminars would also be arranged at Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and other cities for creating awareness among the people.

He said that dacoits and qabza groups had overtaken the society and collective efforts were needed to save the country from disaster and providing justice to the people.

The government was committed to elimination of kidnapping, murder, illegal occupation and maintaining peace, he said.

SUSPENDED: An elderly man had met Khawaja Imran Raza, the principal staff officer of the chief minister, during an open court at Model Town a few days ago with regard to the court decision.

He said that the court had given a decision in his favour for a piece of half marla land after litigation of 40 years, but he could not take the possession of land for two months due to the negligence of the LDA staff.

The chief minister ordered suspension of LDA officers who showed negligence in giving possession of land to the complainant.